


Chenle

by The_Sassiest_Trixster



Series: NCT [4]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Coraline AU, Inspired by Coraline, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 32,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Sassiest_Trixster/pseuds/The_Sassiest_Trixster
Summary: While exploring his new home, a teen named Zhong Chenle discovers a secret door, behind which lies an alternate world that closely mirrors his own but, in many ways, is better. He rejoices in his discovery, until Other Taeyong and the rest of his parallel family try to keep him there forever. Chenle must use all his resources and bravery to make it back to his own family and life.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Series: NCT [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668625
Comments: 10
Kudos: 75





	1. Moving In

Once upon a time, in the middle of nowhere on a dark starry night, a haunting lullaby played as a little black-buttoned eyed doll fell from the heavens towards a house with a large skylight in the roof, falling through the skylight into a large sewing room into waiting hands made of sewing needles. The hands then placed the doll, which resembled a young Asian boy with black hair dressed in an orange jacket, gray t-shirt and jeans, on a sewing table and set to work, first by opening an elaborate sewing kit. They then began to cut away the clothing before snipping away the black button eyes and pulling out the black yarn that served as the doll’s hair. They then sliced open the doll’s mouth and pulled out the cotton stuffing before pouring sawdust into the doll’s mouth, filling it up completely before they sewed the mouth shut with new threads. The hands then pulled open a very long drawer full of buttons of all shapes, sizes, and colors, searching through their collection before they settled for a pair of dark brown buttons. They then sewed the buttons into place before punched in brown yarn all around the doll’s head. The hands then grabbed a new set of fabric and set to work on making new clothes for the brand new doll. A t-shirt was drawn, cut, and sewn before being placed on the doll. The hands then grabbed a sheet of black denim and created a pair of pants for the little doll. They also created a pair of converse out of black fabric and small white threads. Once the clothes were on, the hands sent the transformed doll, in a white t-shirt, ripped black jeans, and black converse, out the window and back into the night.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, in the city of Zesham, Oshax, it was a rainy, late winter day. The sky was so dark that it looked like a gray saturated sponge. Further out into the country, a small pink Queen Anne-style house with tacked-on outside stairs stood and in the foregrounds, a sign read “Pink Palace, Apartments for Rent”. On top of the roof, a tall young man by the name of Huang Renjun was performing calisthenics while counting in Chinese.

“一，二，三，四。一，二，三，四…” he counted aloud when suddenly a beeping sound was heard, making him pause and look down towards the earth to see what was going on. He watched as a tired moving van suddenly appeared and began to back up the muddy driveway as a black jeep, suitcases roped to its top, recklessly passed the truck, disappearing around the side of the house. Renjun then shook his fist angrily after the car.

“小心走路!” he shouted before he marched away indignantly. Meanwhile, inside of the moving truck, one of the movers spoke to the others.

“We’re here. Time to muscle up” he stated. The other movers grunted in agreement before they wrenched open the moving truck’s rear door. The first mover, who was tall and bear-shaped, and the second mover, who was built like a brick top, moved around so that a lot of the boxes and beat-up furniture could be easily accessed.

~*~*~*~*~

A few feet away from the moving truck, on the exterior stairs leading to a lower basement flat, a tall young man with light skin, pink hair, and brown eyes by the name of Na Jaemin surveyed the movers as they passed by with the boxes and furniture. He studied the movers for a moment before he turned and headed down the stairs to his flat. He had to tell his partner that a new family was moving in.

~*~*~*~*~

Back up on the porch, the movers continued to move boxes and furniture around.

“Got it? Almost there, just a few more. Come on, now, LIFT” the second mover ordered before finally all of the furniture and boxes were inside the house. Once the job was finished, the second mover headed down the front steps while the first mover waited for a signature from the new tenant. Once the papers were signed, a tip of a single, grubby dollar bill was placed in the outstretched hand of the disappointed mover before the door slammed shut.


	2. Park Jisung

Near the Pink Palace, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes was watching the movers unpack while as a black cat appeared next to him and looked at the house with concern. The two watched as the movers quietly packed into the truck and drove away before a door suddenly banged open. The black cat’s eyes widened and quickly ran from the young man’s side and raced up a tree towards the back porch to investigate.

~*~*~*~*~

A tall young man with light skin, brown hair, and brown eyes by the name of Zhong Chenle stepped onto the porch wearing black ripped jeans, black converse, and a plain white t-shirt with a dark blue denim jacket thrown over it and a black backpack on his back. From where he was standing, the young man narrowed his eyes and found that the new tenant had brown hair and a curious face. Back on the porch, Chenle glanced over his shoulder before hopping down the steps, moving diagonally away from the house. As he moved away from the house, the young man watched as he headed straight towards him and in a panic, he quickly hid behind some trees, making sure that he couldn’t be seen. Chenle, however, ignored the shrubs that the trees where the man was hiding and walked over to the shrubs by a rust old gate, reaching inside and breaking off a forked branch. He then removed the stick’s red leaves, aiming the stick like a dowsing rod before heading to the garden. Behind the trees, the young man peeked around the trunk, watching Chenle with narrowed eyes as the black cat suddenly appeared next to him, also watching Chenle before it padded off after him, following him into the garden. The young man watched the cat leave before he groaned and followed after it.

~*~*~*~*~

In the garden, Chenle explored the drained, crumbling pond and while he was exploring, she came upon an old turtle shell in the muck. Before picking it up, he rapped on it gently, just to make sure that it was empty, before he picked up the shell and placed it into his backpack. Unknown to him, the young man was hiding behind some dead vines before pushing them away, hoping to get a better look at Chenle. Chenle, not knowing that he was being watched, aimed his dowsing rod once more before following it up out of the pond and out the back gate. Once he disappeared, the young man crept out from behind the vines, following after him, wondering where he was going.

~*~*~*~*~

A little later, on a rocky path above the Pink Palace, the sky grew darker with the forewarning of an oncoming storm. Meanwhile, the young man continued to follow Chenle before quickly hiding behind a natural wall made of stone, peaking around the wall to see Chenle walking down the steep hillside path. He watched as he stepped onto an old railroad tie, only to have his foot sink into the rotted wood, stopping him. The young man winced and leaned out for a better look, only to accidentally dislodge some stones, sending them rolling past Chenle, who jumped before jerking his head their way, making the young man hide behind the wall.

“Hello? Who’s there?” Chenle called out, panic slipping into his voice. When no one answered, he narrowed his eyes before he picked up a rock, throwing it over to the wall, hitting the young man, causing him to cry out in pain.

“What the fuck?!” Chenle hissed before he yanked his foot out of the rotting wood, running up the trail. As he ran up the trail, the young man rose from the wall, clutching at his head as he watched him flee. As he watched him run, the black cat appeared out of nowhere and hopped up onto the wall, watching as well.

~*~*~*~*~

Chenle continued to run up the trail and through an overgrown apple orchard, racing past an old tractor, heading deeper into the orchard. As he ran, the wind began to pick up, making him shiver. He thought that the leather jacket would keep him warm, but he thought wrong, apparently. As he was running, he nearly tripped over the tongue of a harvest cart before backing into a circle of toadstools in front of a stump. Breathing hard, he spun around, searching for his pursuer. As he spun around, the black cat shot past him and into the tall grass, making him freeze; he couldn’t see anything but he knew that something was there.

“MEROWWW!” the black cat yowled as it leapt on to the sump. Chenle let out a shout before he whirled around, only to see the cat before him. 

“Damn it you stupid thing, you nearly scared me to death!” he shouted. The black cat stared at him before it let out a low growl as Chenle placed his hands on his hips.

“I’m looking for an old well. Know it?” he asked. The cat blinked slowly, making Chenle raise an eye at it in return.

“Not talking huh?” he sneered. The cat blinked again as the wind began to pick up again, making Chenle clutch at the forks of his “dowsing rod” and close his eyes, tracing a figure eight above him.

“Magic dowser, magic dowser: show…me…the well!” he chanted. Since his eyes were closed, he couldn’t see that the young man had slowly appeared from the brush and started to walk towards him. Once he stood before him, he gently tapped him on the shoulder, startling him into snapping open his eyes and letting out a yelp as he spun around.

“AHHHHH!!” he screamed, making the young man raise his hands to show that he meant no harm. However, Chenle was too freaked out so he completely ignored the signal and just began to hit the man with the forked stick.

“GET AWAY FROM ME—” he shouted when the young man just let out a huff and snatched the stick from him, studying it intensely.

“You must be from someplace dried out and barren, right? I heard about water-witching before but it doesn't make sense; I mean, it's just an ordinary branch” he murmured. Chenle just rolled his eyes before he reached out and snatched the stick back from his gloved hands.

“IT’S A DOWSING ROD!” he shouted, enraged, as he glared at him.

“And I DON’T like being stalked, not by some creep or their cat!” he snarled. The tall young man looked at him for a moment before he chuckled and crouched down, scratching behind the cat’s ear.

“He’s not exactly my cat. But I do feed him at night and he likes to bring me little dead things” he replied as the cat purred like diesel. Chenle stared at him for a moment before he cleared his throat.

“I’m from Aglecia” he stated, crossing his arms. The young man looked up at him.

“Sorry?” he replied. Chenle rolled his eyes and let out a huff.

“That’s where I’m from. Aglecia” he repeated before he stomped his foot and pointed the stick.

“And if I’m a “water witch”, there where’s the secret well?” he demanded. The young man said nothing as he looked down at where he was standing.

“You stomp too hard and you’ll fall in” he replied calmly. Chenle blinked before he hopped out of the springy circle. The tall young man then reached out and scrapped the ground, revealing a circular covering made of wooden planks. He then grabbed a fallen branch and wedged it under one side before using a rock for the fulcrum to pry open the covering.

“See? It’s supposed to be so deep that if you fell to the bottom and looked up, you’d see a sky full of stars in the middle of the day” he explained, motioning to the well. Chenle looked down at it, face softening ever so slightly.

“Huh” he whispered. The black cat glanced over at him and tilted his head, noticing the change in his tone. The tall young man then stepped off the branch, the well cover thumping back into the place. As Chenle continued to stare at the well, the tall young man looked at him, almost studying him.

“It’s rare that I let people move in here” he mused. When Chenle turned and raised an eyebrow at him, he cleared his throat and motioned to the Pink Palace.

“I own the Pink Palace and I normally don’t rent to people with kids” he explained. Chenle gasped at him.

“But you’re my age! How can you own this place?” he exclaimed. The young man sighed.

“Both of my parents died and they left the Pink Palace to me” he explained. Chenle blinked before he swallowed.

“I’m…I’m sorry” he whispered. The young man shrugged.

“It’s alright” he replied. Chenle then crossed his arms.

“Why don’t you rent to people with kids?” he asked. The young man looked at him before he shook his head.

“It’s a personal matter that I would rather not discuss” he replied before he held out a gloved hand to him.

“Park Jisung” he introduced. Chenle was quiet for a moment before he reached out and shook Jisung’s gloved hand.

“What’s your name?” Jisung asked as he pulled his hand away.

“Chenle” Chenle replied. Jisung raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“Chenle what?” he asked.

“Zhong Chenle” Chenle elaborated. Jisung smiled.

“Nice to meet you Chenle. It’s rare that I get to meet a Castistan water witch” he teased, making Chenle crack a smile. He then cleared his throat.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some business that I must take care of back at the Pink Palace” he stated as he turned on his heels and began to walk away. Chenle watched him walk away before he moved to put his dowsing rod in his backpack.

“I’d wear gloves next time” Jisung suddenly called out. Chenle looked up and saw that Jisung had stopped walking and was holding up a gloved hand. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, looking at him skeptically.

“Why?” he asked. Jisung chuckled and shook his head before he pointed to the stick in Chenle’s hand.

“Because that dowsing rod of yours? It’s poison oak” he explained. Chenle’s eyes widened. 

“What?!” he exclaimed. Jisung chuckled once more before he turned on his heels, hands clasped behind his back.

“Have a nice day, Chenle” he called out as he walked away once more. Chenle quickly dropped the stick and started wiping his hands on his pants, trying to get as much as the poison oak off as possible. The black cat then merowed at him, shaking its head with a pitying look before trotting after Jisung, pausing once to look back at Chenle before continuing on. Chenle looked up and stuck his tongue out at them before looking down at the covering of the well. He glanced around to make sure that no one was watching before he knelt down and picked up a pebble, dropping it through a small knot-hole in the covering. He then got down on his hands and knees and pressed his ear to the hole, counting until there was a watery “plop” far below and suddenly fat raindrops began to fall around him as he pushed himself to his feet, heading back to the Pink Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	3. Lee Taeyong & Jung Jaehyun

The next morning, it was pouring heavily outside. Inside the apartment where they were renting, Chenle looked out the kitchen window at the dead garden as he placed packets of seeds – pumpkins, squash, snap dragons, bleeding hearts— on the sill. On one of his hands, he had developed a red rash from the poison oak that was very itchy. Behind him, sitting at the dining table in the middle of the kitchen, which was barely maintained like the rest of the Pink Palace, was one of his father’s, a tall young man with light skin, mousy brown hair, and brown eyes by the name of Lee Taeyong. He banged away at a laptop, looking like he hadn’t slept in years, while moving boxes were stacked nearby.

“I almost fell down a well yesterday, Dad” Chenle called out. Taeyong's head snapped up from his laptop screen, brown eyes wide.

“What?” he exclaimed. Chenle nodded.

“Yeah, but I’m fine. Don’t worry about it” he assured. Taeyong narrowed his tired eyes at him before he hummed and went back to typing on his laptop.

“You should be more careful next time Chenle” he scolded. Chenle rolled his eyes.

“I know, I know” he replied before he turned to look at him.

“Think I can go outside? It’s the perfect weather for gardening” he stated. Taeyong looked up at him and shook his head.

“No, absolutely not. One, I’m not going to let you get sick and two, rain like this makes mud and mud makes a mess” he stated before he turned back to his laptop. Chenle groaned.

“But Dad, I want stuff growing when my friends come to visit. Isn’t that why we moved here?” he asked. Taeyong hummed.

“Something like that. But then we had the accident” he reminded. Chenle sighed.

“Wasn't my fault you hit that truck” he grumbled. Taeyong shook his head.

“I never said it was” he replied before he reached across the table and picked up a newspaper wrapped package.

“Oh, and someone left this on the porch” he stated. Chenle raised an eyebrow as he walked over to Taeyong and grabbed the package from him, plucking off the note that was attached to the package.

_Hey Lele. Look what I found in one of my old trunks. Look familiar? Jisung_

Chenle then ripped open the package to find a brown button eyed, brown haired, white t-shirt, black ripped jeans, black converse wearing doll. It was a little Chenle doll, which in all honesty, creeped him out a little bit.

“A little me? Creepy” he murmured before he folded the note back up and stuck it in his pocket. As he continued to stare at the doll, Taeyong tilted his head at him.

“What is it?” he asked. Chenle turned and showed him the doll.

“The owner of the Pink Palace, Jisung, sent this doll to me. It’s kind of creepy, don’t you think?” he asked. Taeyong studied the doll for a moment before he shrugged.

“I think it’s sweet that he thought to send you something” he replied. Chenle hummed before he shook his head.

“I’m too old for dolls though, Dad” he grumbled. Taeyong fixed him with a look.

“Just keep the doll, Chenle. It’s a gift. Do not return it, understand?” he growled softly. Chenle sighed.

“Yeah” he replied. Taeyong nodded before he turned back to his laptop.

“Now, why don’t you go and bug your father? I’ve got to finish this article” he declared. Chenle nodded before he turned and headed upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~

Meanwhile, in the upstairs study, a tall young man with light skin, ink black hair, and brown eyes by the name of Jung Jaehyun, Chenle’s other father, was typing on an ancient computer, since his laptop was currently charging since it somehow died on the way over. Boxes of gardening magazines and empty coffee cups surrounded him as Chenle opened the door to the study, making him turn around to see who had entered his domain.

“Hi Chenle” he greeted before noticing the doll in his hand.

“And Chenle doll?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Chenle nodded before he placed his hands on his hips.

“D’you know where the gardening tools are?” he asked. Jaehyun smiled slightly.

“Lele, it’s pouring outside” he stated, straining to listen to the outside. Chenle huffed.

“So? It’s just rain” he grumbled. Jaehyun chuckled and shook his head.

“What’d the boss say?” he asked. Chenle sighed.

“Said he didn’t want me going outside cuz I’d get sick and rain like this makes mud” he replied. Jaehyun smiled and shook his head.

“Then you won’t need the tools” he stated as he spun in his chair back to the old computer. Chenle groaned as he threw his hands up in the air.

“What am I supposed to do then?” he exclaimed. Jaehyun hummed as he spun around to face him again.

“Well, this house is over a hundred and fifty years old so…why don’t you go exploring?” he offered. Chenle blinked at him.

“Exploring?” he replied. Jaehyun nodded.

“Mmhm. It’ll be fun, I promise” he assured. Chenle was quiet before he nodded.

“Okay” he replied. Jaehyun smiled as he grabbed a pen and a notepad, handing them over to him.

“Have fun” he teased as he turned around and began typing on his computer once more. Chenle smiled as he turned on his heels, walking out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	4. Famous Last Words

After Chenle left Jaehyun in the study, he began to explore the house like Jaehyun told him to do. He walked down the stairs, doll still in hand, before jumping on a bump in the carpet that moved with each jump. He jumped on it a few times to try and get the bump to go away but since it just kept moving after every jump, he deemed it a pointless endeavor. He then walked down to the laundry room and wiped off the misted glass so that he and the doll could look outside before he pulled her head away from the glass and wrote on his pad: seven leaky windows. Just then, a drop of water suddenly landed on the pad, completely smearing the ink. Chenle glared at the smeared ink before he added a **really** between “seven” and “leaky windows”.

~*~*~*~*~

Once he was done in the laundry room, he walked back to the hallway by the stairs, jumping on the carpet bump once more before he bounded up the stairs. He then walked into his parent’s bedroom and looked around, noticing a framed photo of a younger, happier Chenle and his parents by the Bear fountain at the Castistan Zoo. He smiled at the picture before he turned and walked into the bathroom, hoping to explore a little more. When he walked over to the shower and pulled aside the curtain, he was greeted with the sight of a hundred skittering silverfish all over the wall.

“Ew” he whined before he jumped into the tub and began smashing as many as he could. Once he was done, he turned on the faucet to wash his hands, only to get soaked with the rusty water from the shower head.

“Gah!” he exclaimed as he shook his head. That was it, he was getting out of there before things got any worse. He quickly wiped off his hands on the shower curtain, grabbed his doll that he left on the sink, then darted out of the bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~

Back in the hallway near the stairs, Chenle bounded down the stairs and spotted the carpet bump again, immediately jumping on it. As he landed, a closet door suddenly opened, a light shining inside.

“Huh?” he murmured to himself as he looked over at the door, standing to his feet and walking over to investigate. When he walked inside, he found that it was a water closet, which interested him. He quickly grabbed out his notepad and jotted down “one rusty water heater” on it. As he left, he flicked off the light switch, not noticing a note taped to the side that said: **DO NOT TURN OFF!**

~*~*~*~*~

Back up in the study where Jaehyun was working, the lights flickered before Johnny's computer suddenly died. His eyes widened in horror as he began to click on his keys before he gripped his hair and let out a howl.

“No, no, no, no, no; GAAAA—!” he shouted. 

~*~*~*~*~

Downstairs, Chenle heard Jaehyun's scream, making him look up in surprise. His eyes widened in realization as he quickly ran back to the water closet. He spotted the **“DO NOT TURN OFF”** note and quickly flipped the light switch back on before he got the hell out of there.

~*~*~*~*~

After the water closet incident, Chenle walked into the living room, doll in one hand, pen and notepad in the other. As he walked inside, he noticed that the room was faded and cold, with bare windows looking out on rain and gray clouds. Around the room, moving boxes were strewn about, along with a few pieces of furniture, and Jaehyun's old Nordic Track. A few garden tools leaned against one wall while a cardboard mattress box leaned against a corner wall. As he walked around the room, he counted all of the windows and doors and noted them down on his notepad. He then walked over to one of the open boxes, setting the doll down next to it as he looked at the contents of the box. A small smile graced his face, the box was full of Taeyong's snow globe collection. As he looked through the box, he immediately grabbed out his favorite, the Bear Fountain at the Castistan Zoo, and shook it, watching as the little flakes floated around in the water, sighing with homesickness. He then set it carefully on the fireplace mantel before unwrapping the rest of the snow globes, placing them beside the first snow globe. After he had set up the snow globes, he looked up and noticed that hanging above the mantel was a painting of a crying boy in a blue suit with a scoop of ice cream melting on his shirt as he held an empty cone. Chenle raised an eyebrow at it as he reached for his note pad, adding the painting to his list.

“One boring blue boy in a painfully boring painting…four incredibly boring windows…and no…more…doors” he muttered to himself. He then turned to grab his doll when he found that it was gone.

“What the hell? Where did it go?” he whispered as he looked around the room. When he found that he couldn’t find it, he narrowed his eyes.

“Alright you little shit, where are you hiding?” he murmured, scanning the room until he found the doll leaning against the wall by the mattress box.

“How the hell did it get all the way over there?” he wondered aloud as he walked over to the box, kneeling down to grab the doll when he notice that there was something on the wall behind the box. He quickly got on his knees and shoved the box out of the way, discovering the outline of a small door that had been wallpapered over. 

“Woah…what the hell?” he whispered to himself before he raised his head towards the kitchen.

“Dad!” he called out.

~*~*~*~*~

In the kitchen, Taeyong's head immediately perked up at the sound of Chenle’s call, so he got up out of his seat and walked into the living room to find Chenle kneeling by the door.

“Chenle? What is it?” he asked. Chenle motioned to the wallpapered door.

“Look at this. It’s a small door. Where do you think it leads?” he asked. Taeyong raised an eyebrow, squatting down next to him.

“Huh…I don’t know” he replied. Chenle then reached out, gently touching the lock.

“I think it’s locked…do you think there’s a key lying around somewhere?” he asked, looking over at Taeyong, who shrugged.

“I’m not sure, but I can look” he replied as he pushed himself to his feet and turned on his heels, heading back to the kitchen. He walked around the kitchen, pulling open different cabinet drawers before coming upon a cabinet full of keys. He scrounged through the keys until he came upon a small, old fashioned black key with a button on the end.

“This should work” he murmured to himself before he walked back into the living room, kneeling next to Chenle. He then reached out and cut the wallpaper around the door with the key before sticking the key in the lock. Chenle’s eyes widened, giddy with anticipation as the doll sat at his side, as he watched Taeyong turn the key and pull open the door, only to reveal…an unopened brick wall. Chenle’s shoulders fell as he looked at the wall.

“Bricks? But I don’t…I don’t understand” he murmured. Taeyong shook his head.

“I’m sorry Chenle. Maybe they bricked it up when dividing the house” he offered as he pushed himself to his feet. Chenle shook his head.

“I don’t think so. That doesn’t make any sense. Especially since this door is so small, only a child could fit through it” he explained. Taeyong shrugged.

“I don’t know what to tell you. Now, is this all you wanted? I still have to keep editing Johnny's work” he stated, looking down at Chenle. Chenle looked back at him, nodding.

“Yeah, I think that’s all” he murmured. Taeyong nodded in reply, turning on his heels and heading back to the kitchen.

“Hey Dad” Chenle suddenly called out, making the man stop.

“Yes Chenle?” he replied, turning to look at him. Chenle motioned to the small door.

“You didn’t lock it” he stated. Taeyong smiled and shook his head.

“I don’t think anything is going to get through those bricks, Chenle” he assured as he turned and headed back to the kitchen. Chenle watched him leave before he looked back at the bricked up wall, shutting the door that lead to it.

“Famous last words” he muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	5. The Other World

Later that evening, Chenle, his doll, and Taeyong were sitting in the kitchen at the dining room table as Jaehyun served them whatever he made for dinner as he sang a song about Chenle, horribly and teasingly off key.

“Oh, my twitchy witchy son” he sang as he grabbed an oven mitt to take a burned-up casserole dish from the oven. 

“I think you are so nice; I give you bowls of porridge. And I give you bowls of ice cream!” he finished as he set the dish down in front of Taeyong, Chenle and his doll. Chenle took one look at the dish and pushed it away.

“What is this?” he asked, looking up at Jaehyun. Jaehyun sighed.

“This is whatever we had left in the house, Chenle. I know it’s not good, but at least try a little bit of it” he urged. Chenle made a face before he looked over at Taeyong.

“Dad, why don’t you cook?” he asked. Taeyong shook his head.

“My cooking skills are sub-par to your father’s. And I do have to agree Jaehyun, this does not look very appetizing” he stated, looking up at his husband. Jaehyun groaned.

“Everybody’s a critic” he grumbled. Chenle and Taeyong shook their heads.

“No, have you seen this? This looks absolutely disgusting” Chenle stated. Jaehyun hummed as he looked down at his casserole before making a face.

“Damn it…I was trying so hard not to make a face…but you’re right, this is nasty” he agreed before looking over at Chenle.

“I promise your dad and I will go shopping after we finish our catalogue, alright? Now try some of the chard, you need your vegetables” he stated. Chenle hummed and crossed his arms.

“Looks more like slime to me” he grumbled.

“Well, it's slime or bedtime, Chenle, so what’s it going to be?” Taeyong asked, raising an eyebrow. Chenle sighed.

“Bedtime it is, I guess” he replied.

~*~*~*~*~

After everyone opted to **not** eat Jaehyun's casserole, Chenle quickly walked up the stairs to his bathroom and got ready for bed while Taeyong and Jaehyun slowly followed behind up to their room. Once Chenle had brushed his teeth, washed his face, and changed into his pajamas, he walked into his bedroom and over to his bed, falling back onto it. It was still raining outside, which was nice to sleep to, but he just found it annoying since he couldn’t go outside and explore. He then turned on his side and placed his doll on a chair near his bed before scratching at his wrist, which was still really itchy.

 _‘Damn poison oak’_ he thought to himself as he looked up at his sad little origami dragonflies that were strung between the tall thin bed posts before looking over at the turtle shell he found in the garden that was propped up on a box and the night lamp that Taeyong got for him that projected stars and moons next to his bedside table. Despite his best efforts at decorating, his new bedroom felt cold, small, cracked, and faded, kind of like how he felt at that moment. He then reached over and grabbed a framed photo that was resting on a toy praying mantis by his nightlight and looked at it, sadness in his eyes. It was his two best friends from home, Mark and Donghyuck, posing in the snow by his old school’s marquee with the letters rearranged to spell “CHENLE, GOODBYE!”

“Don’t forget about me, okay?” he whispered as tears came to his eyes before he placed the photo back and hit the light switch over his bed. He then rolled over and looked at his doll, sighing.

“Good night creepy little me” he bid before he shut his eyes, his breathing slowing as he fell asleep, the doll watching as he did so.

~*~*~*~*~

Later on that night, mist swirled outside Chenle’s window as projected moons and stars slowly moved across his wall when suddenly, something went t-t-t-t-t-t-t-t in the room. Chenle woke with a start, gasping as he sat up, looking around in fear. He then heard the noise again, this time under his bed, so he leaned over the side to see what the hell was making that noise when a ghostly white kangaroo mouse hopped out from beneath his bed and towards the door, quickly exiting. Chenle blinked once in surprise before he leapt out of bed and ran after the mouse.

~*~*~*~*~

Chenle chased the mouse down the hall and down the stairs before snapping on the lower hall light, watching as the mouse hopped into the living room. He ran after it and saw it edging out from beneath the sofa before hopping frantically towards the small door behind the wallpaper. He frowned before he gave himself a running start and dove, trying to catch the mouse, only to have the mouse slip through the small crack in the door, escaping him. Chenle blinked in surprise before he slowly pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the little door, kneeling before it. He then reached out and pulled it open, expecting a brick wall, only to be surprised by a dark expanding tunnel with the kangaroo mouse heading towards the bluish light at the end.

“What the hell?” he whispered. Before he decided to do anything else, he looked around to make sure that Taeyong and Jaehyun weren’t up to see what he was about to do before he pulled the door all the way open and crawled through. He slowly padded down the tunnel, towards the light, until he crawled through the same little door into what looked like a replica of his living room, only this room felt more…alive.

“My God” he breathed as he looked around in awe. He then noticed the painting above the fireplace was different: the crying blue boy was now smiling, his shirt was clean, and his ice cream was back on his cone.

“Weird” he murmured before he looked towards the kitchen as a warm light and delicious smells wafted towards his nose.

“Something smells good” he murmured as he pushed himself to his feet and walked towards the kitchen, pushing open the door, only to freeze. Before him stood Taeyong, cooking at a stove, wearing an apron over his suit and rooster-head mitts on his hands. Even though he was staring at Taeyong, Chenle could definitely tell that the lights and colors were much warmer and the details were much more perfect in this kitchen than back in his old kitchen.

“Dad? What the hell are you doing here in the middle of the night?” he exclaimed, making Taeyong turn. Chenle let out a gasp as he stared at his father: this Taeyong had bright brown buttons for eyes.

“You’re just in time for supper, dear!” the other Taeyong exclaimed, beaming brightly at the sight of Chenle. Chenle shook his head, shocked and to be honest, a little frightened.

“You’re not my dad. My dad doesn’t have b-b-buh—” he stammered. The other Taeyong smiled.

“B-b-b-buttons? Do you like them?” he asked, tapping one with his finger before chuckling.

“I’m the Other Taeyong, silly. Now, go tell Other Jaehyun that supper’s ready” he instructed before he turned and opened the oven door, the intoxicating perfume of great cooking filling the air. Chenle sucked in a deep breath, suddenly very hungry, before he cleared his throat.

“Um…where is he?” he asked. Other Taeyong smiled and motioned with his head.

“He’s in his study” he replied. Chenle nodded slowly before he almost cautiously exited the kitchen, heading towards the study.

~*~*~*~*~

Chenle walked up the stairs and headed towards the study, carefully opening the door to stare at the back of a man who looked a lot like Johnny. Instead of taping away at his computer, however, this man was picking notes on a baby grand piano.

“Hello?” he called out softly. The man turned around, making Chenle blink at the sight: this man, too, had button eyes. He also seemed a lot less tired and was wearing an iridescent robe over polka dot pajamas with orange monkey slippers on his feet, something Chenle knew Jaehyun would never wear in real life.

“Hey Chenle. Want to hear my new song?” Other Jaehyun asked. Chenle shook his head.

“Um, no, not really” he replied. Other Jaehyun raised an eyebrow.

“Are you sure? I’ve worked really hard on it for you” he stated. Chenle shook his head again.

“I’m sure you did, but that’s really not necessary. Please” he asked. Other Jaehyun shrugged.

“Whatever you say, pumpkin. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, um, the Other Taeyong says that the food’s ready” Chenle explained. Other Jaehyun smiled.

“Oo, wonderful! I’m starving” he replied before he stood up and motioned for Chenle to leave the room.

“Come on, come on, we’ll be late if we don’t hurry” he explained. Chenle blinked before he shrugged his shouldered and headed back downstairs towards the dining room.

~*~*~*~*~

In the other dining room, the Other Taeyong set down a huge roasted chicken before Chenle on a table spread with candles, fine china, silver, and a pineapple centerpiece with a figure eight model train track circling twin lazy susans covered in dishes of mashed potatoes, sweet peas, rolls, and corn. Other Jaehyun then cleared his throat before he bowed his head.

“We give our thanks and ask to bless, our Father’s golden chicken breast!” he prayed before he opened his eyes and giggled. A dinner bell suddenly rang, signaling that it was time to eat. Other Jaehyun quickly piled up his plate with food and began to dig in while Chenle placed some chicken on his plate. He then took a bite before his eyes widened in surprise.

“This chicken is really good!” he exclaimed, making Other Taeyong chuckle.

“Hungry, aren’t you?” he teased. Chenle nodded, mouth full of chicken, before he swallowed and smiled shyly.

“Do you have any gravy?” he asked. Other Taeyong nodded before smiling.

“Well, here comes the gravy train! Choo-choo!” he called out as the model train circled round the track, pulling a gravy boat as it blew its whistle. The train went through one side of the centerpiece before coming out of the other, slowing until the gravy boat lined up with Chenle’s plate and poured gravy on his potatoes.

“Another roll? Sweet peas? Corn on the cob?” Other Taeyong asked, looking at Chenle approvingly, not even touching his own plate. Chenle shook his head before he thought about it for a moment.

“I am kind of thirsty” he admitted. Other Taeyong's button eyes glistened as he nodded.

“Of course. Any requests?” he asked as a beautiful chandelier drink dispenser descended from the ceiling.

“Mango milkshake?” Chenle replied. The dispenser then spun until it came upon the requested drink, stopped, filled up Chenle’s glass while Other Taeyong presented desert: a cake with candles that popped up and lit themselves with the words “WELCOME HOME!” wrote themselves in black icing. As Chenle was taking a sip of his milkshake, he looked over and saw the words, nearly choking on his drink. He then put his glass down as he looked at the Other Taeyong and Other Jaehyun.

“Home?” he asked, taken aback. Other Taeyong and Other Jaehyun nodded as they took one another’s hands affectionately.

“We’ve been waiting for you Chenle” Other Taeyong explained. Chenle blinked.

“For me?” he asked. Other Jaehyun nodded.

“Yep. Wasn’t the same without you” he replied. Chenle shook his head, a little unsure.

“I didn’t know I had an Other Father” he murmured. Other Taeyong chuckled.

“Of course you do. Everyone does” he explained before he smiled, brown button eyes glistening.

“Really?” Chenle asked. Other Taeyong nodded.

“Uh huh, and soon as you’re through eating, I thought we’d play a game” he bubbled, tapping his fingers a little too excitedly on the table. Chenle frowned.

“You mean…like hide and seek?” he asked, skeptically. Other Taeyong clapped his hands gleefully.

“Perfect! Hide and seek in the rain” he declared. Chenle frowned.

“What rain?” he asked when suddenly thunder boomed, lighting cracked, and rain began to pour outside the window. Chenle looked towards the window in surprise before he looked back at the Other Taeyong and Other Jaehyun.

“What about the mud?” he asked. Other Jaehyun scoffed.

“We love mud here!” he exclaimed as Other Taeyong rose out of his seat and walked over to Chenle.

“Mud facials, mud baths, mud pies…it’s even great for poison oak” he explained, taking Chenle’s hand in his, which Chenle quickly pulled away.

“How’d you know I—” he started before he quickly changed his mind.

“I’d…love to play but…I better get home to my other fathers” he stated, adjusting his tone. Other Taeyong raised an eyebrow.

“But I’m your other father” he stated, smiling. Chenle shook his head, befuddled.

“I mean my other, other father. Taeyong number one?” he explained before he yawned.

“I think I should get to bed” he added. Other Taeyong nodded, still smiling.

“Of course. It’s all made up” he assured, motioning to the stairs. Chenle blinked, confused.

“But—” he started when Other Jaehyun stepped over to him and gently took his arm.

“Come along, sleepyhead” he murmured. He then led him from the table towards the stairs to his bedroom, Other Taeyong following behind.

~*~*~*~*~

In this other world, Chenle’s bedroom was a dream come true: it was filled with rich color and light, there was a fire in the fireplace, and everything in his room was alive. As Chenle stepped into his bedroom, he paused and looked around.

“My God” he whispered when suddenly his origami dragonflies fluttered towards him.

“Hello Chenle! Hello! Hello!” they greeted as his blue squid plush waved at him with one of his tentacles.

“What’s shakin’ baby?” he called out, making Chenle wave back nervously to the toy.

“Hello” he replied. The turtle shell he had found circled his feet on clothes pin legs, making soft panting sounds, causing him to laugh. 

“Yo, where’s your boots and cap?” a voice called out from the side of Chenle’s bed, making him look over with wide eyes. He then rushed over to the bed and jumped onto it, grabbing the picture frame and staring at it.

“Mark! Haechan! How are my best friends? I can’t wait till summer. You’re both coming, right?” he asked. His friends laughed.

“We’re already here, Lele” they replied. Chenle grinned brightly before he yawned, feeling exhausted as he laid back, resting his head on his pillow. In the chair beside the bed, the Other Taeyong sat down and took Chenle’s hand, applying some soothing black mud to the rash. Chenle turned and looked over at him, blinking at his palm sleepily.

“Oh…the mud…” he mumbled as Other Taeyong tucked him in before stepping back to stand beside Other Jaehyun as they watched him drift off to sleep.

“See you soon” they whispered as Chenle’s breathing steadied and he fell fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	6. Huang Renjun

The next morning, when Chenle woke up, he was expecting bright colors or some magic dragonflies, but it was just his normal room: moving boxes, cracks in the ceiling; nothing had changed. He then noticed his doll was sitting in the chair where he left it, where the Other Taeyong was sitting last night. He reached out and picked it up, staring at it for a moment before he absentmindedly scratched at his wrist, pausing when he realized that it no longer itched and that his rash was gone.

“It’s gone! My poison oak, it’s gone!” he exclaimed before he quickly jumped out of bed and rushed downstairs to the living room.

~*~*~*~*~

When he entered the living room, he ran over to the little door and peeked behind it, only to find the wall of solid bricks.

 _‘It was only a dream’_ he thought, staring at the brick wall. He then shook his head and stood up, heading towards the kitchen after hearing the kettle whistle.

~*~*~*~*~

In the kitchen, Jaehyun and Taeyong were finishing their “Go Lean Breakfast Twigs” and mugs of instant coffee. Since they were preoccupied with their work, they only half-listened as Chenle recounted his dream, his breakfast untouched as fog slinked outside the windows.

“It was incredibly real, Dad! Only you weren’t really you; you were my other Father” he explained, looking at Taeyong, who raised an eyebrow at him as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Buttons for eyes, huh?” he repeated disapprovingly. He then shook his head as he pointed to Chenle’s untouched plate.

“Chenle, you only dreamed you ate all that chicken. Take your multi-vitamin, at least” he instructed. Chenle did what he was told and quickly swallowed the pills, downing it with a swig of water. He then turned to Jaehyun.

“You were in the dream too, Dad. You had wild-looking pajamas and orange monkey slippers” he explained. Jaehyun scoffed.

“Orange? You know I don’t wear orange. And you know I would never wear anything that you just described, right?” he stated. Chenle chuffed as Jaehyun stood up and placed his dishes in the sink before glancing back at him.

“Pssst. Could you get me some of that magic mud you were talking about?” he asked softly. Chenle raised an eyebrow and pointed to his rash-free wrist, making Jaehyun nod.

“Because I have a terrible case of writer’s rash on my—” he started when Taeyong cleared his throat, interrupting the conversation.

“If the real Jung Jaehyun wants his pages edited, he’d better wrap them up ASAP” he stated, giving Jaehyun a look. Jaehyun smiled and crisply saluted him, turning on his heels and marched out the door. Taeyong then stood and began to clear the table, Chenle assisting him.

“Chenle, why don’t you go visit downstairs? I bet those “actors” would love to hear your dream” Taeyong suggested. Chenle raised an eyebrow.

“Na Jaemin and Lee Jeno?” he asked. Taeyong nodded.

“Uh huh. It’ll get you out of the house, which you definitely seem to need” he stated. Chenle hummed before he walked over to the door and stepped outside, heading downstairs to meet their neighbors.

~*~*~*~*~

When Chenle exited the house, there was a nice drizzle falling from the sky and a white fog had lowered over the house and grounds. As he stepped out onto the porch, he accidentally tripped on a big bundle of mail, making him curse as he stumbled. He then reached down and picked up the bundle, leafing through it.

“Huang…Huang…Huang…” he muttered, reading the name on the envelopes. As he was leafing, a rotten smell reached him, making him crinkle up his nose in disgust, so he decided to sniff one of the envelopes to see if the smell was coming from it. Big mistake.

“Gah!” he exclaimed, pulling the envelope away from his nose. He then walked down the front steps and found sign that read “Huang there” with an arrow pointing up a long, winding outside stairs. With a shrug and a sigh, Chenle began to walk up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~

At the top of the stairs, Chenle knocked on the door, a little anxious. 

“Hello?” he called out. When no one answered, he knocked again.

“I think our mail got mixed up. Should I leave it outside or—” he started when the door suddenly swung open. Curious, Chenle peeked inside and found that it was dark and cramped with something boiling on the stove and a caged chicken was placed in the corner. Chenle hummed as he studied the inside when suddenly, out of nowhere, a man swung down behind him, arms crossed.

**“** **SECRET…”** he scolded. Chenle whipped around to find Huang Renjun, a tall young man with light skin, silver hair, and brown eyes, upside down, reaching right for his face. His eyes widened and he quickly ducked as Renjun reached past him to his actual target, his doorknob, and pulled it shut. The Chinese man, dressed in a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, pulled a raw beet from his pocket and Chenle could tell that he was not particularly happy.

“Famous Jumping Mouse Circus not ready, little boy” he stated, scowling. Chenle frowned and raised an eyebrow.

“Circus?” he repeated softly before he remembered why he was there.

“Oh, uh, I brought this for you” he stated, holding out Renjun’s mail. Renjun’s eyes widened and he smiled as he took the packages, smelling the stinky envelopes deeply. He then nodded approvingly. 

“Mmm…thank you” he hummed, making Chenle raise an eyebrow.

“What?” he asked. Renjun motioned to the envelopes.

“New “cheese” samples” he explained as he swung down like a spider monkey, standing beside Chenle on the balcony.

“Very clever, using this “mix up” to sneak into my home and peek at the laoshu” he praised, smirking at Chenle.

“Laoshu?” Chenle repeated, looking up at Renjun. Renjun nodded.

“The mice!” he exclaimed. Chenle nodded slowly.

“Oh, sorry. I’m Zhong Chenle” he introduced. Renjun bowed.

“And I am the Amazing Huang Renjun! But you can call me Renjun because I already know I’m amazing” he replied. Chenle smiled politely as Renjun smelled his mail again, making a pleased sound before he fell off the side of the third story porch. Chenle gasped and quickly ran over to the side, looking down, seeing nothing.

“Ha! You see, Chenlay, the problem is my new songs go “oompah oompah”. But the jumping mice play only “toodle toot”, like that” Renjun stated, suddenly appeared behind Chenle, making him jump. 

“Which is nice, but it’s not really amazing. So now—” he started as he motioned to the smelly mail.

“—I decided to switch to a stronger cheese and soon **WATCH OUT!** ” he exclaimed as he opened his door, crouched low, and turned. He then handed Chenle a beet.

“Here, have a beet. Makes you strong” he stated before he saluted Chenle.

“Bye” he bid before he stepped inside and slammed the door shut.

“Chenle. Not “Chenlay”” Chenle grumbled as he looked down at the beet in his hand. He then made a disgusted sound and tossed it over the railing before heading downstairs.

~*~*~*~*~

When Chenle got to the bottom, he started towards the back, humming the little mouse tune.

“Oompah oompah, toodle toot, toodle toot” he hummed as he walked.

“EHH! CHENLAY! WAIT!” Renjun’s voice called out. Chenle looked up, eyes going wide.

“AH!!” he exclaimed as Renjun leapt up all the way to the ground, landing beside him, out of breath.

“The mice…asked me…to give you a message” he panted. Chenle frowned.

“The…jumping mice?” he repeated. Renjun nodded gravely as he leaned down, so close that his moustache was touching Chenle’s ear.

“They say: do not go through the little door” he whispered, his voice dead serious. 

“Do you know of such a thing?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at Chenle, who looked at him, startled.

“The one behind the wallpaper? But…it’s all bricked up” he murmured. Renjun shrugged.

“Bah. So sorry, it's nothing. Sometimes the mice are a little…” he started, motioning to his head and rotating his finger.

“…mixed up, hmm? They even get your name wrong, you know. They call you Chenle instead of Chenlay, not Chenlay at all” he exclaimed before he started back up the stairs.

“Maybe I work them too hard…” he mumbled to himself as Chenle just watched him walk away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	7. Na Jaemin & Lee Jeno

After meeting Renjun, Chenle walked over to the Jeep, and unhooked the bungee cords from around the remaining black suitcase. Once it was down, he opened it and pulled out his favorite hat, a black Japanese schoolboy's cap. He then put it on and headed down the steps to the basement apartment. At the door, Chenle tried the comedy/tragedy door knocker and waited. Nothing. As he waited, he glanced down at the doormat that read “No whistling in the house”. 

_‘Odd thing for a doormat to say’_ he thought to himself before he leaned forward to peer through the little glass window in the door. Suddenly a dog leapt up to the glass, barking loudly, causing Chenle to start and take a step back in fright. After a moment, a tall young man with light skin, pink hair, and brown eyes opened the door and three Scottie dogs shot out and circled Chenle.

“Oh cease your infernal yapping” the man, Na Jaemin, snapped, glaring down at the dogs. He then looked up at Chenle and smiled.

“How nice to see you, Chenlay. Would you like to come in? We’re playing cards” he explained. Chenle smiled slightly.

“Still Chenle, Jaemin hyung” he replied. Jaemin then looked over his shoulder inside the apartment.

“Jeno, put the kettle on” he shouted before he motioned for Chenle to come inside.

~*~*~*~*~

Once inside, Jaemin led Chenle into the living room as Lee Jeno, a tall young man with light skin, black hair, and brown eyes, prepared tea in the kitchen to the side. As the dogs raced ahead and jumped onto the sofa, Chenle looked around to see framed posters from the “Shakespeare” plays the men used to perform in, such as King Leer and Julius Seize Her. While Chenle was looking around, Jeno peered out of the kitchen, narrowing his eyes.

“Jaemin, I think you’re being followed” he declared, staring at Chenle. Jaemin looked over at him and smiled slightly.

“It’s the new neighbor, Jeno. Chenle? He’ll be having the Oolong tea” he stated. Jeno shook his head.

“No, no, no, no. I’m sure he’d prefer Jasmine” he argued. Jaemin glared at him.

“No, Oolong” he snapped.

“Ah, Jasmine it is then” Jeno declared with a smile as he grabbed a handful of tea, put it into a kettle, and poured boiling water in it.

“Come on, boys!” Jaemin called, motioning for the dogs to get off the sofa. The dogs did what they were told and got off as Chenle took their place. As he sat down, he turned to his left and gasped at the sight of a towering bookcase filled with stuffed Scottie dogs in knitted sweaters with angel wings.

“Are those dogs…real?” he asked, looking over at Jaemin. Jaemin sighed and nodded.

“Our sweet, departed angels. Couldn’t bear to part with them…so we had them stuffed” he explained as he motioned to the wall.

“Now, there's Hamish the third, the fourth, the eighth, the ninth. Angus the second, the fifth, the—” he started, rattling off names as Jeno walked over to them with a tea tray, with a tea pot, teacup, and small bowl of sweets on it. He then motioned for Chenle to take a sweet as Jaemin continued on.

“Oh go on, have one. It’s hand-pulled taffy from Brighton; best in the world” he whispered. Chenle smiled at him before he reached out for a pink and green sweet, but the taffy was so old and sticky that his fingers got stuck. When he tried to pry off his fingers, his other hand got stuck trying to get the first hand off.

“…seventh, the third, the ninth, yes, the fourth I'm right; and Jock Junior, Jock senior, Jock the third, the fourth...” Jaemin continued as Chenle decided to use his feet to pry off the taffy, which worked, save for him sending it flying up towards the ceiling, causing it to get stuck.

“Crap” he cursed as Jaemin continued to speak about his dogs.

“…oh, and that's Jock's 2nd cousin, twice removed” he declared before he turned to see Chenle about to take a sip of his tea.

“I’ll read them for you, if you like” he offered. Chenle raised an eyebrow.

“Read what?” he asked. Jaemin laughed.

“Your tea leaves, dear. They’ll tell me your future” he explained before he motioned with a hand to the cup.

“Drink up then, go on” he instructed. Chenle frowned before he gulped down the bitter brew, making a face as it went down.

“No, not all of it, not all of it” Jaemin exclaimed. Chenle quickly stopped drinking as Jaemin held out his hand.

“Hand it over” he instructed. Chenle nodded and slowly passed him the cup as Jaemin put a saucer on top of the cup and swirled it three times before removing the saucer and peering at the abstract leaf pattern. He then pursed his lips.

“Oh…Chenle, Chenle, Chenle…you’re in terrible danger!” he exclaimed, shaking his head. Jeno then snorted.

“Oh, give me that cup, Jaemin. You couldn’t read leaves if they spelled themselves out for you” he teased as he took the cup from Jaemin’s hands. Jaemin then looked at him with wide eyes.

“I can’t read them?! I can read them better than you can!” he exclaimed. Jeno just rolled his eyes before he looked into the cup.

“Oh don’t worry Chenle, it’s good news: there’s a tall, handsome beast in your future” he declared. Chenle blinked.

“Excuse me?” he asked. Jaemin rolled his eyes this time.

“Jeno, please, you’re holding it wrong” he scolded as he forcibly rotated the cup.

“See? Danger!” he exclaimed.

“What do you see?” Chenle asked, leaning forward slightly. Jeno and Jaemin, heads side by side, gazed into the cup as a spiky claw was formed by the leaves, almost like the Grim from Harry Potter.

“I see a very peculiar hand…” Jaemin stated ominously while Jeno just rotated the cup again. Upside down, the claw hand looked like a giraffe.

“I see a giraffe” he stated.

“Giraffes don’t just fall from the sky, Jeno” Jaemin scolded, glaring up at his partner when the taffy suddenly crashed to the floor, making everyone jump.

“Jesus!” Jaemin cried.

“Fuck!” Jeno shouted. Meanwhile, Chenle was just looking at both men with a stoic face.

“Well, what should I do?” he asked.

“Never wear green in your dressing room” Jeno advised.

“Acquire a very tall step ladder” Jaemin added before he titled his head.

“And be very, very careful. Now, was there something you came to tell us?” he asked. Chenle thought about it for a moment before he shook his head.

“No, I guess not. Thanks for the tea, though” he thanked, smiling. He then got up and headed for the door, the dogs immediately hopping back up onto the sofa, taking his place.

“Goodbye” Jeno called out.

“See you!” Jaemin added before he and Jeno returned to their card game.

~*~*~*~*~

After exiting Jaemin and Jeno’s apartment, Chenle was walking up the steps, intrigued by his fortune.

“Danger?” he whispered to himself. As he was walking, he felt like someone was following him, but he didn’t let on that he was aware of it. So, he just continued to walk until he suddenly paused and spun around, punching into the fog, accidentally hitting Jisung in the chest.

“Ow!” he exclaimed. Chenle’s eyes widened.

“Jisung! Oh my God. Are you okay?” he asked. Jisung rubbed his chest before he looked up at Chenle and nodded.

“Yeah, I’m good. Damn, you have a strong punch” he grumbled. Chenle blushed slightly.

“Sorry” he apologized before he crossed his arms.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked. 

“Oh, we’re just enjoying the cool air. Well, I’m am, he’s not” Jisung replied. Chenle frowned.

“I don’t see anyone else with you” he murmured. Jisung smiled as he opened his coat, revealing the black cat.

“I thought you said he was a feral cat!” Chenle exclaimed as the cat crawled up onto Jisung’s shoulders, taking a perch. Jisung chuckled.

“He is, but he mainly comes back because I feed him” he explained. Chenle hummed before he stepped forward and reached out, scratching the black cat behind his ear. He then stepped back and crossed his arms again, raising an eyebrow at Jisung.

“So, that doll. Did you make it look like me?” he asked. Jisung raised an eyebrow before he shook his head.

“No, I found it that way. It’s as old as this house probably” he replied. Chenle gave him a look.

“Oh come on, brown hair, black converse?” he stated. Jisung shrugged and shook his head again.

“Sorry Chenle, but I can assure you, I didn’t make the doll” he assured. Chenle hummed, still skeptical, when suddenly the cat on Jisung’s shoulders jumped off and headed for a tree, climbing up it before climbing onto the roof of the Pink Palace. 

“Why’d he do that?” Chenle asked, watching the cat. Jisung looked over at the cat and shrugged.

“Why do cats do anything?” he replied. Chenle huffed.

“Fair enough” he agreed as he and Jisung continued to stare at the Pink Palace.

“You know…my parents always said that this house is dangerous” Jisung murmured. Chenle quickly looked over at him, eyes widening.

“Dangerous?” he repeated. Jisung nodded.

“Mmhm…apparently years ago, there was a couple who had twin boys” he started.

“ And?” Chenle asked.

“Well…one day, one of the boys just…disappeared. The brother said he was stolen” Jisung explained. 

“Stolen?” Chenle breathed.

~*~*~*~*~

Up on the roof, the black cat was watching Chenle and Jisung talk when it felt something that made its spin tingle. It then looked over its shoulder, sensing something, and saw Chenle’s doll at the window, looking as if it was spying on Jisung and Chenle. The cat's eyes then narrowed and it hissed softly. It didn’t like that doll.

~*~*~*~*~

Back down on the ground, Chenle and Jisung were still talking.

“Well, what do you think?” Chenle asked. Jisung raised an eyebrow.

“About the little boy being stolen? I don’t know, it sounds a little far-fetched to me. Maybe he just ran away” he offered. Chenle frowned and shook his head.

“I don’t think so” he murmured. Jisung shrugged.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Lele. It happened so long ago” he stated before he turned away.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some paperwork to do for the Pink Palace” he bid as he began to walk away from Chenle, whistling for the black cat to come down off the roof, which they did. As he was walking away, Chenle held out a hand to try to stop him.

“Jisung, wait!” he called out, but the fog had already swallowed Jisung and the cats up. He then crossed his arms.

“Fuck” he cursed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	8. Other Jisung

That evening, before Chenle went to bed, he placed some cheddar cheese by the door; mouse bait. He then walked over to his bed and climb in, shutting his eyes. His breathing soon slowed and as he began to fall asleep, the doll watched with a nearly imperceptible smile on its face.

~*~*~*~*~

Later in the night, as Chenle slept, something went t-t-t-t-t-t-t. Chenle immediately awoke and looked towards his door, spotting a couple kangaroo mice stealing the last bit of cheese. He quickly leapt out of bed and chased after the mice, who were hopping down the stairs with cheese in their paws. Chenle followed the mice down the stairs and into the living room, directly over to the little door, which was opened just enough for the mice to slip through. Once he reached the door, he pulled it open and found that the bricks were gone and the tunnel was revealed. He didn’t hesitate this time to crawl through the door.

~*~*~*~*~

When he climbed through the tunnel and entered the Other Kitchen, he found the Other Taeyong preparing a delicious breakfast. 

“Welcome back, darling” he called out as Chenle slowly walked towards him, noticing that his other father looked handsomer than when he first met him; his black hair was shining and his brown eyes were sparkling.

“Hi” he replied. Other Taeyong then turned to the stove and began grating cheddar onto the scrambled eggs.

“So thoughtful of you to send this nice cheddar, Chenle” he stated. Chenle raised an eyebrow.

“Cheddar? Oh, the mice bait” he murmured, realizing what the Other Taeyong was talking about. Other Taeyong hummed again.

“Would you go fetch your father? Bet he’s hungry as a pumpkin by now!” he stated, turning to smile at Chenle, who frowned.

“You mean Other Jaehyun?” he asked. Other Taeyong nodded.

“Better Jaehyun, you mean, dear. He’s out in the garden” he stated, motioning to the back door.

“But…my parents don’t have time to garden” Chenle argued, crossing his arms. The Other Taeyong chuckled and quickly shushed him by gently shoving a strawberry into his mouth.

“Hey—” Chenle started before he immediately shut up, munching on the strawberry. Other Taeyong smiled before he motioned to the door again.

“Go on…” he urged. Chenle shrugged before he headed out the door, looking for Other Jaehyun.

~*~*~*~*~

As he walked out the back door and over to the garden, he saw that the broken-down garden from the real world was still grey and lifeless in the dim light. He then pushed open the gate to the garden as a large crescent moon rose into the air, causing everything in the garden to begin to grow. Two dead shrubs started to rise then blossom, then the blossoms themselves were lit up by some golden hummingbirds, which came to meet him after they had lit up the blossoms. They circled around him for a moment before they flew over to some pitcher plants that were growing in a nearby flower bed. They lit those plants up as well and even a beautiful frog popped out of one of the plants. The hummingbirds then led Chenle up steps past a stone wall where bleeding hearts grew, glowed, and beat. As he was walking, he spotted the Other Jaehyun riding a praying mantis tractor on the hillside, planting seeds that instantly grew to flowering plants. 

“Hey!” Other Jaehyun called out as he turned to look over at Chenle and wave.

“I love your garden!” Chenle called back.

“Our garden, Chenle!” Other Jaehyun corrected as he continued to plant the seeds. Suddenly, a gang of snap dragons surrounded Chenle and immediately began to tickle him, making him let out a cry of surprise before he fell to the ground in a fit of hysterical laughter.

“Ah! Stop! Stop tickling me!” he laughed. Other Jaehyun then stopped working and turned when he heard Chenle’s cries.

“Oops, son in distress” he called out as he gunned the tractor full-speed over to the little bridge, grabbing a gourd flower on the way, blowing it like a trumpet as he crossed the bridge. After he crossed, jack-o-lanterns popped up in the bond underneath the bridge and began spouting streams of water. He then rode over to Chenle and waggled his finger at the naughty snapdragons.

“Tickle no more, you dragon snappers!” he exclaimed before he deftly cut a bouquet of them and handed them to Chenle.

“Oh, thank you” Chenle murmured, taking the snap dragons, before he looked up at the Other Jaehyun.

“He says it’s time for dinner…breakfast…food?” he stated. The Other Jaehyun smiled before he held out his hand.

“Hop on Chenle, I want to show you something!” he declared. Chenle raised an eyebrow before he reached out and took the Other Jaehyun’s hand as he pulled him onto the tractor. The Other Jaehyun then grabbed the gearshift knob, pulled it, and the mechanical mantis sprouted wings before rising into the air. As they rose higher and higher, Chenle looked down to see that the garden was created to look like an exact replica of his face. 

“I can’t believe you did this!” he exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise. The Other Jaehyun laughed.

“Taeyong said you’d like it! Boy, he knows you like the back of his hand” he replied before he pulled a lever, heading back towards the house.

~*~*~*~*~

This time at the dinner table, Chenle didn’t hold back. He stacked sausages on eggs on top of waffles, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his mouth while the Other Taeyong fed bits of sausage to Chenle’s snapdragons, which were now in a vase.

“Mmm…so good!” Chenle declared. Other Jaehyun nodded in agreement.

“I love dinner-breakfast food” he agreed. Other Taeyong then looked over at Chenle.

“Chenle, Mr. Huang invited you to come see the Jumping Mice perform after dinner” he stated. Chenle raised an eyebrow.

“Really?” he asked. Other Taeyong nodded.

“Mmhm. So why don’t you and your friend go upstairs while your father and I clean up?” he suggested. Chenle raised an eyebrow.

“My friend?” he repeated when suddenly there was a knock on the door. Chenle turned in surprise as the Other Taeyong walked over to the door and opened it, revealing an Other Jisung, with less frizzy black hair and cute brown button eyes. Chenle grinned as he got out of his chair and walked over to Jisung.

“Jisung! Hi!” he greeted. Other Jisung smiled and waved, button eyes shining, making Chenle frown.

“Jisung?” he asked. Other Jisung just smiled a shy smile at him, yet still didn’t answer.

“I thought you’d like him better if he spoke less. So I fixed him” Other Taeyong explained with a shrug. Chenle looked over at him and frowned.

“So…he can’t talk at all?” he asked. Other Taeyong shook his head.

“No” he replied. Chenle looked over at the Other Jisung and frowned.

“Oh…” he murmured. He rather liked it when Jisung spoke. His voice was nice to listen to. 

“Do you not like him?” Other Taeyong asked, pouting. Chenle quickly looked over at him and shook his head.

“No, no. I…I like it” he lied. Other Taeyong smiled and raised his chin, puffing out his chest in pride.

“Now, run along you two, and have fun” he instructed. Chenle and Other Jisung nodded before they headed out the door, hoping to enjoy the night a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	9. Jumping Mouse Circus

As Chenle and Other Jisung walked out the door, Chenle looked over at Other Jisung and huffed.

“You’re awful cheerful, considering you can’t say anything” he stated as he and Other Jisung walked down the steps and over to the steps leading up to Other Renjun’s apartment. Other Jisung smiled and shrugged. Chenle then frowned.

“It didn’t hurt, did it, when he—” he started when Other Jisung pointed upwards to a small blimp that was flying towards Other Renjun’s apartment. The two teens looked at one another before they smiled and raced up the stairs, watching as the blimp slipped through a small opening on the top of Other Renjun’s door. Chenle let out a laugh and looked over at the Other Jisung, who smiled, before he looked back at Other Renjun’s door and knocked three times. Before he or the Other Jisung knew what was happening, the door rotated forward, scooping them up and throwing them inside. 

~*~*~*~*~

After the door had thrown them inside, both teens somersaulted before coming to a stop, landing on their butts. They then looked around in awe at the sight of little cannons lined up in a row on either side of them while at the end of the rows, an amazing miniature circus was set up, a small popcorn Ferris wheel beside it.

“Woah…” Chenle breathed as he quickly pushed himself to his feet, walking over to the Ferris wheel, where a mechanical chicken was eating off small kernels of corn from a cob and heating it up in its belly, before sending freshly made popcorn out its mechanical rear. As he took a freshly made bag, he heard a loud cannon sound, so he looked over to see the Other Jisung covered in cotton candy. A few were even stuck in his hair.

“Jisung! Oh, look at you!” he laughed before he walked over to him and helped him remove the stuck cotton candies. After he had done that, Other Jisung pointed to the circus tent, where spotlights were circling inside as the entrance opened.

“Ladies and gentleman! For to tickle your eyes and ears and making hearts to thump, I, Huang Renjun, am introducing…my as-tound-ishing, stu-pen-dulous, and AH-MAZING Jumping Mouse Circus!” Other Renjun’s voice boomed from inside. Chenle and Other Jisung looked at one another before they walked over to the tent and knelt down, crawling inside.

~*~*~*~*~

Once they were inside, Chenle and Other Jisung sat between miniature grandstands and watched as the little blimp from earlier, bathed in spotlight, entered through a flap in the tent, circled around before rising to the top of the tent to then suddenly nose-dive towards the ground. As it crashed in the center of the circus ring, it opened like a flower from which fifty jumping mice sprung up like Chinese acrobats to spell out C-H-E-N-L-E. Chenle gasped in delight as he grabbed at Other Jisung’s arm.

“Look Jisung! They spelled my name!” he exclaimed. Other Jisung smiled and nodded as the jumping mice leapt to the ground in formation, brandishing tiny instruments as the mice drummers started pounding on their drums. The major mouse then parachuted out of the sky and landed on a red ball with a yellow star, whipping out a baton. On his signal, the group quickly launched into a wild Chinese circus march, making Chenle look over at the Other Jisung, smiling widely.

“This is wonderful, Jisung!” he exclaimed. Other Jisung smiled as he nodded to the beat of the bass drums as the hopping band marched in and out of ever-changing formations: pinwheels, x’s, and circles within circles. The mice continued to hop in a large circle as the middle of the ring suddenly rose out of the floor and began to rise to form a six-foot Tower of Babel, the mice hopping around the curved sides to the top while the ringleader balanced at the top on his colorful circle ball.

“Wow” Chenle whispered, just as the drum major rolled the ball down and around the spiraling tower as the mice hopped off the sides to form the original large circle and once he hit the ground, the tower fell away to reveal the Other Huang Renjun, who had shining black button eyes and was dressed regally in a ringmaster’s outfit with a full-length cape. He posed for a moment before he bowed graciously, doffing his tall black hat to Other Jisung and Chenle.

“That was amazing!” Chenle exclaimed. Other Renjun smiled.

“Thank you, boys” he thanked as the drum major hopped before him. He looked down at it before he nodded slightly, which signaled the drum major to begin bouncing on his ball as the entire kangaroo mice band disappeared into the Other Renjun’s sleeves while the drum major rolled up Other Renjun’s arm, onto his shoulder, and then onto his head, before being quickly covered with the black hat.

“We loved it, Renjun. It was so…so—” Chenle stammered, lost for words.

“Ahhh—” Other Renjun coached.

“Amazing!” Chenle finally declared. Other Renjun nodded and smiled.

“You are welcome anytime you like; you and also your good friend there” he stated, motioning to Other Jisung. Chenle looked over at Other Jisung and smiled before Other Renjun reached out and took his hand.

“Goodbye, Chenle” he bid before he leaned down and kissed Chenle’s hand.

~*~*~*~*~

That evening, after the amazing time at the circus, Chenle went up to his room and immediately fell asleep, not even bothering to get under the covers. A little while later, Other Jaehyun and Other Taeyong came upstairs, Other Jisung following them, and watched as Other Taeyong and Other Jaehyun helped maneuver Chenle to be underneath the blanket before Other Taeyong kissed Chenle on the forehead and sat back in the bedside chair. Other Jaehyun then walked over to him, standing beside him as he wrapped an arm around Other Taeyong’s shoulder, pulling him close. The two men smiled warmly, almost as if they had a secret shared between them, while Other Jisung stood by the door, watching Chenle with shining brown buttons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	10. Back to the Other World

The next morning, when Chenle woke up, he found himself to be in his own bed in the real world, the little doll sitting on in the chair where Other Taeyong was sitting the night before. 

“Ugh” he groaned as he sat up and yawned. As he slowly woke up a little more, he noticed that he was back in his room in the real world, making him groan again. He then looked over at the door and noticed that the cheese he put there last night was gone, so he quickly jumped out of bed and rushed over to the door, looking at the crumbs in shock. He then got up and quickly got dressed before he rushed down the stairs, heading towards the little door in the wall.

~*~*~*~*~

When he knelt before the door, he tried to open it, only to find that it was locked.

“What?” he murmured to himself.

“Lele, come on, let’s go!” Jaehyun called from the door. Chenle sighed before he pushed himself to his feet and headed out of the living room, following Jaehyun out the door as they headed to the car.

~*~*~*~*~

After driving for a while, Taeyong stopped the Jeep outside a small office building in town called the “Northwest Garden” headquarters as townsfolk in Shakespearean costumes stood about, advertising a local festival.

“…there were garden squash like balloon animals AND snap dragons” Chenle explained, sharing his latest dream while Jaehyun and Taeyong were reviewing their latest pages.

“Oh, and upstairs I saw a real mouse circus, not pretend like Renjun's” he continued. Jaehyun and Taeyong hummed, pretending to pay attention while they continued to review their pages.

“You sure you won’t come?” Jaehyun asked, looking up from his pages at Taeyong. Taeyong smiled slightly and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Jaehyun, they’ll love the new catalog. At least, they’ll love my chapters” he teased. Jaehyun gave him a “aren’t you funny” look before he opened the door and stepped out. Taeyong then looked back at Chenle, who was looking at him with bright eyes and crossed arms.

“I didn’t say he was crazy, Chenle. I said he was a drunk” he stated, making the hand-thumb bottle sign. Jaehyun then opened the back door and leaned in, pinching Chenle gently on the nose.

“I’ll see you around, you dizzy dreamer” he bid. Chenle smiled before he gently pushed Jaehyun’s hand away.

“Dad, I’m not five anymore!” he exclaimed. Jaehyun chuckled before he stepped back and shut the door of the car. He then turned and headed up the stairs to his appointment while Taeyong and Chenle drove off to do some clothes shopping.

~*~*~*~*~

Inside the uniform department store, Taeyong piled gray shirts, black and navy pants, and white socks into the arms of a clerk and while he was shopping, Chenle was sitting alone on some stairs, staring around the store in boredom before he spotted a pair of fancy fingerless leather gloves. He quickly stood up and walked over to them, picking them up and trying them on. As soon as he slipped his hands into them, a boy in a costume with a sword bounced past him down the stairs on a wheeled stool, his father in pursuit.

“My kingdom for a hoooooorse!!!” the boy shouted as he rolled into racks of clothes, crashing into them. Chenle looked at him for a moment before he rolled his eyes and walked over to Taeyong. Before he even reached him, Taeyong shook his head.

“Put them back, Lele” he instructed. Chenle’s eyes widened before he huffed.

“But Dad, the whole school’s gonna wear boring gray clothes. No one will have these” he exclaimed, motioning to the fingerless gloves on his hands.

“Put them back” Taeyong ordered, refusing to budge. Chenle huffed.

“Other Taeyong would have gotten them for me” he grumbled. Taeyong looked over at him and raised an eyebrow before he smirked.

“Maybe he should buy all your clothes” he replied. Chenle was quiet before he walked back to the display table and removed the gloves, placing them down.

~*~*~*~*~

After shopping at the uniform department store, Taeyong and Chenle drove home, trunk stuffed with shopping bags.

“So, what do you think’s in the other apartment?” Chenle asked, glancing at Taeyong. Taeyong shrugged.

“I don’t know. Not a family of Jung-Lee imposters, that’s for sure” he replied. Chenle hummed before he crossed his arms.

“Then why’d you lock the door?” he asked.

“Oh, I found some rat crap and…I thought you’d feel…safe” Taeyong replied. Chenle rolled his eyes.

“They’re jumping mice, Dad. And the dreams aren’t dangerous; they’re the most fun I’ve had since we’ve moved here” he grumbled.

“Your school might be fun” Taeyong offered.

“With those stupid uniforms? Yeah right” Chenle grumbled, looking out the window at the world passing by.

“Had to give it a try” Taeyong murmured as he pulled into their driveway.

~*~*~*~*~

Once they entered the house, Taeyong walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

“How do you feel about a mustard, ketchup, salsa wrap for lunch?” he called out. Chenle, who entered the house with all of the shopping bags on his arms, made a face.

“Hell no” he replied. Taeyong shrugged.

“Mmm…had to go food shopping anyways. Jaehyun’s planning something special” he stated. Chenle made a face again.

“Oh god…” he mumbled. Taeyong then looked over at him, brightening slightly.

“You want to come along? You can pick out something you like” he offered. Chenle raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, like the gloves?” he sneered as he plopped down in a chair. Taeyong sighed softly before he walked over to him, gently mussing his hair. Chenle leaned into the touch a little before he pulled away.

“Look Lele…if things go well today, I promise I’ll make it up” Taeyong promised. Chenle gave him a look.

“That’s what you always say” he snapped. Taeyong rolled his eyes before he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Chenle’s hair before walking over to the door, opening it to leave.

“I won’t be long” he called out before he left. Once the door slammed, Chenle smirked.

“But I might be” he whispered before he dashed out of the dining room.

~*~*~*~*~

Chenle then ran into the kitchen and over to the key drawer, pulling it open as he searched for the small black key, only to find that it wasn’t there. He frowned and looked around, soon spotting it hanging on a hook above a door. He then ran over to a chair and dragged it over before getting on it and reaching up, snagging it down. He then got off the chair and walked into the living room, stopping before the small door and kneeling down, pushing the key into the keyhole, unlocking it. Once the door was in the lock, he paused, listening for the car, but he heard nothing. Since he was completely alone, he grasped the key tightly between his thumb and forefinger before shutting his eyes and pulling the door open. A soft breeze suddenly blew through his hair and he knew before he even opened his eyes that the bricks were gone. He waited there for a moment before he cracked open an eye and saw the tunnel before him.

“I knew it!” he exclaimed before he got down on hands and knees and crawled through. Unbeknownst to him, the black cat was perched on the wet windowsill, observing him as he disappeared through the tunnel. The cat made a face before he jumped off the sill and headed off into the fog. He knew this wasn’t going to end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	11. Johnny Seo

As Chenle entered the other kitchen, he found that lunch was ready and waiting for him: foot-long hotdogs with relish, grilled cheese sandwiches with gherkins, curly fries, piles of coleslaw and potato salad, and five flavors of soda. As he studied the table, he noticed a gift-wrapped box with a note attached to it.

_Dearest Chenle,_

_Mr. Na and Mr. Lee have invited you downstairs after lunch. I hope you like the new outfit I made you!_

_Love, Taeyong_

Chenle raised an eyebrow at the words “new outfit” so he quickly tore into the box and found a pair of beautiful black boots, black leather pants, and a metallic gray sweater with twinkling stars. Not something he would usually wear (save for the boots and sweater), but he thought it was a thoughtful gift so he decided to not be rude and wear it. He then quickly slipped the sweater over his head before he dug into lunch.

~*~*~*~*~

After lunch, Chenle stepped out onto the front porch, dressed in his new outfit, and burped. As he stood outside, he noticed that it was always nighttime in this world, which he didn’t mind, since he liked the night, but he just found it a little odd. While he was surveying the world, he heard a soft merow so he looked up to see a black on the porch roof above him. He raised an eyebrow as he studied the animal for a moment.

“Hmm…Jisung’s got a cat like you back home. Not the quiet Jisung; the nice one with the black hair. You must be the Other Cat” he stated. The black cat said nothing before it leapt down and landed on the railing by the basement stairs.

“Oh no, I’m not the other anything. I’m me” the black cat replied before it chuckled.

“Well, I’m not exactly a cat, but I pull it off pretty well” it added before it titled its head to the side, brown eyes glinting. Chenle’s eyes widened.

“Um, okay, what the hell? I can see that you don’t have button eyes, but how are you able to talk?” he exclaimed. The black cat shrugged from the tip of its tail to its whiskers.

“I just can. Name’s Johnny Seo” it introduced as it leapt smoothly from the railing and onto a large fallen tree. Chenle crossed his arms.

“That’s an odd name for a cat” he mused. 

“Well, I did say that I wasn’t exactly a cat” the black cat stated before it began to transform. Chenle’s eyes widened as the small black cat began to shape-shift into a tall young man with light skin, honey brown hair, and brown eyes dressed in a leather jacket, white t-shirt, black leather, and black boots. Chenle opened his mouth to say something before his mouth promptly fell open as six black wings unfurled from behind Johnny’s back.

“Holy shit” he whispered. Johnny chuckled.

“Told ya” he teased. Chenle stared at him for a moment before he shook his head.

“Okay, first, cats aren’t supposed to talk and second, they’re not supposed to be able to shape-shift into fucking…what the hell are you?!” he exclaimed. 

“I’m a fallen angel” Johnny replied. Chenle groaned and ran his finger through his hair.

“Oh my god…” he groaned. Johnny then placed his hands on his hips as he folded his wings against his back.

“Isn’t the world a strange place?” he teased. Chenle hummed before he looked at the supernatural being.

“How did you get here?” he asked, suspicious. Johnny shrugged as he leaned against the tree.

“I’ve been coming here for a while” he replied before he snapped his fingers, disappearing suddenly before reappearing beside Chenle, startling the shit out of him.

“Gah!” Chenle shouted, making Johnny chuckle.

“Sorry, I don’t get to do that very often” he explained before he cleared his throat.

“It’s a game we play. He—” he started, motioning to the Other House.

“—hates cats and me in general, so he tries to keep me out. But he can’t, of course. I come and go as I please” he explained. Chenle frowned.

“Other Taeyong, I mean the Other Father, hates cats?” he asked, skeptical. Johnny scoffed.

“Oh, he’s not like any father I’ve ever known” he sneered. Chenle’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean? He’s amazing!” he exclaimed. Johnny chuckled and shook his head as he walked back over to the fallen tree and sat down.

“You probably think this world is a dream come true, don’t you? But you’re wrong. Jisung told me” he declared. Chenle frowned.

“Wait, Other Jisung? But that’s not right, he can’t talk” he stated. Johnny this time gave him a look of pity before he shook his head.

“Maybe not to you. We supernatural beings, however, have far superior senses than humans—” he started when he suddenly stopped talking and froze, sensing something.

“Shhh! I hear something! Right...over...” he whispered as he quickly morphed back into a cat and scrambled across the roof, disappearing around the corner. Chenle shrugged, skeptical, and headed down to Jeno and Jaemin’s, their door now circled with chaser lights.

~*~*~*~*~

After Chenle entered through the door and stepped through the red velvet curtains, he was greeted by a bright shining light in his face. He quickly covered his eyes to protect them before he parted them slightly to see a black-buttoned eyed Scottie dog greeting him with a flashlight in its mouth. The Scottie then circled Chenle, sniffing him for a second before he walked away, heading down the long aisle past rows and rows of Scottie dogs. Chenle followed behind, looking around at the filled theatre before he stopped next to the Scottie dog, who was pointing with his flashlight to an empty seat next to Other Jisung.

“Hi Jisung!” Chenle greeted with a smile as he sat down next to his friend. Other Jisung waved as the lights in the theatre began to flash, silencing the audience, and then, the curtains opened to a seaside setting with rotating waves. Suddenly, a large fish appeared and then one of the fishermen on the boat behind it took its fishing hook and pulled off its head, revealing Other Jeno, dressed up as a large merman.

“What the fu—” Chenle whispered, eyes widening in shock as Other Jeno began to sing.

_I'm known as the siren of all seven seas_

___The breaker of hearts by the bay._

Behind him, the backdrop of sailors in a boat “sailed” on the waves.

_So, if you go swimmin'_ __

_With bow-legged women,_ __

_I might steal your weak heart away._

After he was done singing, he bowed his head and the audience of Scottie dogs thumped their tags, their version of clapping. Other Jeno was then lowered through the stage floor as the scenery changed, and a large half-scallop shell was raised out of the floor, carrying Other Jaemin, who was dressed as Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Chenle’s eyes widened.

“Oh my God” he whispered as he stared at the man, who began to sing.

_A big-bottomed sea witch may bob through_ ___the waves,_ __

_And hope to lead sailors astray,_ __

_But a true ocean goddess,_ __

_Must fill out her bodice,_ __

_To present an alluring display._

The dogs thumped and woofed as Other Jisung and Chenle clapped. Meanwhile, down below, Jeno, who was furious at the greater reaction, quickly rose up and began his verse, which was very clear on who he was dissing.

_Beware of old oysters, too large in the chest,_

_Let's banish them from the buffet._

But Jaemin was up to the challenge; the scenery started to change faster and faster as the men rose up and down, competing.

_I'm far more nutritious_

_You smell like the fishes_

___Did I hear a banshee?_

_You're sea-green with envy_

_This mermaid enchantress_

_No, I "Birth of Venus!"_

The two men shouted at each other as the scenery kept changing so fast until the set rigging couldn’t take it anymore; ropes snapped, sandbags swung, and scenery started to fall.

_Will send sailors swooning –oh—!_ __

_Will send sailors swooning –oh—!_

With a crash, the two men tumbled down in a pile, making Chenle hide his face in Other Jisung’s shoulder. Meanwhile, the Scottie dogs barked and howled, absolutely delighted by the chaos. Just then, a drumroll started, making Chenle lift his head and turn towards the stage as a Scottie pushed a large barrel of water out into center stage before looking up. The spotlight that were trained on the barrel soon tilted upwards to reveal two very tall diving platforms, where Jeno and Jaemin now stood. Chenle’s eyes widened, nearly popping out of his head.

“I can’t watch” he whimpered, quickly covering his eyes. Other Jisung smiled as he gently tapped Chenle’s arm, making the young man pull his hands away and look back up at the platforms.

“Ready to break a leg, Jaemin?” Other Jeno asked. Other Jaemin laughed.

“Our lives for the theater, Jeno!” he replied. The two men began to jump on the diving boards, each jump higher than the last, until both men unzipped their skins to reveal new versions of themselves dressed in white and blue circus uniforms. They both then caught onto matching trapeze bars that swung into place. Chenle let out a gasp of delight and Other Jisung smiled brightly as all the dogs around them barked loudly. Music then began and soon the two men, button eyes bright, swung over the stage.

 _“What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason!”_ Other Jaemin called out as he swung over the stage.

 _“How infinite in faculty! In form and moving! How express and admirable”_ Other Jeno continued as he and Jaemin swung past one another. Then, in sudden change of direction, they swung out over the audience, both men still saying their lines.

 _“In action like an angel!”_ Other Jeno exclaimed.

 _“In apprehension how like a god!”_ Other Jaemin continued before he reached down and yanked Chenle out of his seat, making his eyes widen.

“Aah!” he screamed as he was lifted out of his seat and thrown through the air.

 _“The beauty of the world!”_ Other Jaemin continued.

 _“The paragon of animals!”_ Other Jeno finished before he deftly tossed Chenle upwards, allowing Chenle to grab onto to the rigging while Other Jeno and Other Jaemin let go of their bars and dove towards the barrel, both landing inside it without a splash. Meanwhile, Chenle was still hanging onto the rigging when the rigging suddenly stopped, causing him to lose his grip and fall towards the ground, only to have Other Jeno and Other Jaemin rise out of the barrel, Other Jaemin on top of Other Jeno, and catch him. Chenle let out a gasp as he landed on Jaemin’s open hand, giggling soon afterwards. The audience of Scotties soon erupted into loud barks and Other Jisung shot to his feet, clapping loudly. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a rose, tossing it to Chenle, who caught it with a blush on his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	12. Stay Forever

After the magical night, Other Jisung and Chenle walked up the steps from Jeno and Jaemin’s apartment, greeted by Other Jaehyun and Other Taeyong, who were waiting for them.

“Hey there” Other Jaehyun greeted with a wave as Other Taeyong smiled brightly.

“Was it wonderful, dear?” he asked. Chenle nodded, eyes bright from all the excitement.

“Oh, yeah. They swooped down and pulled me right out of my seat!” he exclaimed as he walked towards the house, Other Jaehyun and Other Taeyong following behind him while Other Jisung followed behind them, a frown on his face.

“And then, I was flying through the air, and it was…it was magic” Chenle continued before he sighed contentedly. Other Taeyong smiled slightly.

“You do like it here, don't you, Chenle?” he asked. Chenle nodded before he looked over Other Taeyong’s shoulder at Other Jisung, who still had a frown on his face.

“Night Ji!” he bid before he walked into the house, Other Jaehyun following behind him. Other Taeyong followed after them before he paused and turned to look at Other Jisung, who looked back at him, the frown deepening. Other Taeyong just made a “smile” motion with his hands, making Other Jisung dip his head and look away as Other Taeyong walked into his house and shut the door.

~*~*~*~*~

“You could stay here, forever, if you want to” Other Taeyong offered as he, Other Jaehyun, and Chenle walked down the Other Hallway. Chenle looked at him with wide eyes.

“Really?” he asked, excited. Other Jaehyun nodded as he placed a hand on Chenle’s shoulder.

“Sure. We'll sing and play games, and Taeyong’ll cook your favorite meals” he replied as he and Other Taeyong led Chenle into the dining room.

“There's one tiny little thing we need to do” Other Taeyong explained as he had Chenle sit down in one of the chairs. Chenle frowned and tilted his head to the side.

“What's that?” he asked. Other Jaehyun chuckled.

“It’s a surprise” he replied, booping Chenle on the nose before he took a seat adjacent to him, just as Other Taeyong came back in, holding a little box.

“For you, our little doll” he stated. Chenle blinked before he took the box and opened it, frowned when he saw a spool of black thread, two black buttons, and a very sharp needle.

“Black is traditional. But if you'd prefer pink –” Other Taeyong started, his own black buttons eyes turning bright pink.

“—or vermillion—” he continued, motioning to Other Jaehyun’s buttons, who turned a bright shade of orange.

“—or chartreuse—” Other Taeyong continued, making Chenle look down at the buttons in the box, watching as they flashed bright yellow-green. He then gasped and looked up at Other Taeyong as he tapped his buttons.

“Though you might make me jealous” he finished with a smile. Chenle quickly shook his head and shoved the box away.

“No way! You're not sewing fucking buttons in my eyes!” he exclaimed, quickly covering his eyes with his hands. Other Taeyong shook his head, still smiling as he pushed the box back towards Chenle.

“Oh, but we need a yes if you want to stay here” he explained as Other Jaehyun reached into the box and pulled out the needle.

“So sharp you won't feel a thin—” he started when Other Taeyong sharply kicked him in the leg.

“Ow!” he exclaimed. Chenle’s eyes were still wide as Other Taeyong stood up from his chair and walked over to Chenle, motioning to the box.

“It's your decision, darling. We only want what's best for you” he cooed. Chenle shook his head before he jumped to his feet.

“I'm going to bed. Right now!” he exclaimed. Other Taeyong and Other Jaehyun frowned.

“Bed?” Other Taeyong repeated.

“Before dinner?” Other Jaehyun asked, concerned. Chenle nodded, faking sleepiness.

“I'm really, really tired” he replied before he yawned.

“I just need to sleep on things” he continued. Other Taeyong frowned before he nodded and smiled.

“Well, of course you do, darling. I'll be happy to tuck you in” he offered. Chenle’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“Oh, no, thanks. You've done so much already” he replied before he headed towards the stairs, only to be stopped by Other Taeyong, who somehow magically appeared before him.

“You're welcome. And I—” he started before he reached out and grabbed Other Jaehyun, dragging him over to stand by him.

“We aren't worried at all, darling” he cooed before he reached out and gently booped Chenle on the nose, making him flinch.

“Soon you'll see things our way” he assured as he and Other Jaehyun stepped to the side, allowing Chenle upstairs. Chenle smiled weakly and slowly made his way up the stairs and once he was out of sight from both Other Jaehyun and Other Taeyong, he took off with a burst of speed, heading for his room. He then burst into his room, only to be confronted by the flying wooden dragonflies.

“What's wrong, Chenle? Don't you wanna play?” the dragonflies asked. Chenle said nothing before he reached up and grabbed the dragonflies, stuffing them into his arms.

“Yeah! I wanna hug your face!” the stuffed octopus replied, making Chenle grab him too. The snapping turtle snapped at him, but Chenle just grabbed him by the neck and shoved him into his arms as well.

“Get a grip, soldier!” the giraffe doll in a tank ordered before Chenle grabbed him by the neck and rushed over to the chest that was in front of his window. He then shoved them inside, just as his picture began to talk to him.

“Hey! Where’s your buttons, Lele?” Haechan asked.

“You want to stay, don't you?” Mark added. Chenle said nothing as he grabbed the picture and shoved it into the trunk too.

“I’m going home tonight, robots, and I won't be back” he growled as he shoved his dresser against the door, blocking the entrance, before he used his chair and jammed it underneath the doorknob. He then took the trunk and pushed it up against the dresser, making absolutely sure that Other Taeyong and Other Jaehyun couldn’t get in. He then walked over to his bed, sitting down on the edge of the bed, yanking off his shoes before chucking them away and burying himself under the blanket.

“Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep” he whimpered as he tossed and turned under the blanket.

“Go to sleep. Go to sleep” he continued as voices echoed all around him.

 _“—a tiny little thing we need to do”_ Other Taeyong’s voice echoed.

“Go to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep” Chenle whimpered. 

_“So sharp you won't feel a thing”_ Other Jaehyun’s voice teased.

“Go to sleep. Go to sleep” Chenle begged.

 _“Soon you'll see things our way”_ Other Taeyong’s voice cooed. After tossing and turning for what seemed like forever, Chenle finally fell asleep, still buried underneath his blanket for protection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	13. The Ghost Children

The next morning, Chenle woke up, and expecting to be back in his own home and bedroom, he threw off the covers, looking around.

“Dad! Dad!” he called out but as he looked around, he realized that he was still in the Other World and Other Bedroom.

“Fuck!” he exclaimed before he pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the door, moving all of the stuff he placed in front of it before he opened it, heading downstairs. He then walked over to the front doors, pulling on the handles, but they wouldn’t open. He jiggled them a few times before he heard the sound of a sad piano playing in a nearby room. His eyes hardened before he quickly stormed over to the room and pushed open the door, finding Other Jaehyun sitting at the piano, pressing the keys almost like he was bored.

“Hey you! Where’s Other Taeyong? I wanna go home” Chenle demanded, storming up to him. 

“All will be well be swell, soon as Taeyong's refreshed. His strength is our strength” Other Jaehyun replied, turning around to face Chenle, just as the piano top opened and two mechanical hands came out, one hand covering Other Jaehyun’s mouth with the other hand waggled its finger warningly at him. The hands then turned Other Jaehyun around, making him face the piano again.

“Mustn't talk when Taeyong's not here” he murmured. Chenle looked at him with wide eyes before he swallowed and cleared his throat.

“If you won't even talk to me, I'm gonna find the Other Jisung. He'll help me” he declared. Other Jaehyun shook his head, turning to face him again.

“No point. He pulled a long face, and Taeyong didn't like it” he explained, grabbing the corners of his mouth and pulling down to mimic the face Jisung made. The piano hands then burst out of the piano and grabbed Other Jaehyun by the head, forcing him to turn around again. Chenle gasped before he rushed over to a side door and threw it open, running outside towards the Other Garden. Once he reached the Other Garden, he ran down the path and into the Other Orchard, quickly running past trees that were lush with green and ripe red fruit. The farther he ran, the less tree-like the fruit trees became and after a while, he had to slow to a stop or felt like his lungs would burst. As he walked through the strange forest, he heard a meow, so he looked down to find Johnny looking back up at him.

“And what do you think you're doing?” he asked before he shifted into his human form and started to walk beside Chenle. Chenle blinked at him before he huffed.

“Well, I'm getting out of here. That's what I'm doing” he replied as the sky began to lighten and the trees began to disappear.

“Huh? Something’s…wrong. Shouldn’t the old well be here?” he asked as he and Johnny continued to walk as the sky and the ground gave way to a pale, empty nothingness. No ground or shadows. Johnny chuckled and shook his head.

“Nothing out here. It’s the empty part of this world. He only made what he knew would impress you” he explained as they continued walking. Chenle frowned and shook his head.

“But why? Why does he want me?” he grumbled. Johnny shrugged.

“He wants something to love, I think. Something that isn't him...” he replied before he looked over at Chenle and smirked.

“Or maybe he'd just love something to eat” he teased. Chenle’s eyes widened.

“Eat? That's ridiculous, fathers don't eat sons!” he exclaimed. Johnny shrugged again.

“I don’t know. How do you taste?” he teased. Chenle made a face, making Johnny chuckle as they continued walking until a shape rose in front of them in the whiteness and became the beautiful Other House. Chenle’s eyes widened in shock.

“What? But how can you walk away from something and still come back to it?” he breathed as the front yard and topiary, the sky, hills, white gravel drive and the poplar trees behind them filled in. Johnny hummed.

“Walk around the world” he replied. Chenle huffed.

“Small world” he murmured, just as there was a loud trumpet sound coming from a nearby shrub. Johnny immediately whipped his head towards the sound, growling.

“Hang on—” he murmured as he quickly transformed back into a cat and bounded towards the shrub and chased out a cute kangaroo mouse in uniform with a tiny trumpet. Before Chenle could even blink, Johnny had pinned it down.

“Stop, he’s one of the circus mice!” Chenle exclaimed. With a swift “bap” of his paw, Johnny swatted the mouse into the air before catching it in his mouth, the mouse squeaking in fear the entire time. In one quick bite, Johnny killed the mouse, causing Chenle to gasp in horror, but as he watched, sand came out of the mouse’s mouth and transformed into a large, very dead, rat. Chenle’s eyes widened, they were doing that a lot recently, as Johnny spat the rat onto the ground.

“I don't like rats at the best of times, but this one was sounding an alarm” he explained, motioning to the rat with his paw before he picked it up with his mouth and walked away, heading over to the split tree.

“Gooood kitty” Chenle murmured before he turned and looked at the house. He took a deep breath before he walked over to it and up the steps, standing on the porch. He then walked over to the umbrella and cane holder, searching through them until he came upon a cane that he liked.

 _‘Perfect’_ he thought to himself.

~*~*~*~*~

Armed with the cane, Chenle walked into the house and over to the locked door from before, sticking the cane in between the handles before he pulled with all his might, ripping the handles off the wood. He then pushed open the door and in the light from the hallway, he could see the small door that led back to his home. He grinned and took a step forward but before he could get any farther, a huge bug-shaped armoire skittered out of the shadows and sat in front of the door, blocking it. Chenle froze and took a horrified step back as the room began to glow, transforming into an amazing bug museum, with all sorts of glowing, living specimens in the place of the old furniture and furnishings. 

“They say even the proudest spirit—” Other Taeyong’s voice called out, startling Chenle, who watched as the sofa, which was also in the shape of a large bug, spun around, revealing Other Taeyong.

“—can be broken with love” he finished. Chenle stared at him for a moment before he frowned, not noticing as a big bug chair came up behind him and scooped him up, bringing him over to sit before Other Taeyong, who chuckled.

“Of course, chocolate never hurts” he stated as a servant bug walked over to him and handed him a box, which he opened and held out to Chenle.

“Like one? They're cocoa beetles from Zanzibar” he explained, showing Chenle the contents of box, which were chocolate covered beetles wriggling in paper cups. Chenle made a face of disgust, which told Other Taeyong he didn’t want, so he just took the box back and pulled out a beetle, biting off the head. Chenle gagged in disgust, but he did notice that this was the only thing he had ever seen the Other Taeyong eat. He then took a deep breath, readying himself, before he looked at Other Taeyong.

“I want to be with my real dads. I want you to let me go” he declared. Other Taeyong stopped eating and looked over at Chenle, frowning.

“Is that any way to talk to your father?” he asked, placing his hands on his hips. Chenle glared back at him.

“You **aren’t** my father” he spat. Other Taeyong straightened and his button eyes, no longer sparkling, narrowed at Chenle.

“Apologize at once, Chenle!” he demanded. Chenle stood up from his chair and walked over to Other Taeyong, getting up in his face. 

“Go. To. Hell” he snarled. Other Taeyong’s eyes widened before his face turned dark and ugly.

“I'll give you to the count of three. One…” he started as he began to grow taller.

“…two...” he continued as he continued to grow.

“…THREE!” he shouted, completely transformed. This taller Other Taeyong then reached out and grabbed Chenle by the nose, dragging him to the hallway.

“Ow! What are you doing?!” Chenle screamed as Other Taeyong dragged him to the mirror at the end of the hallway and grabbed him by the biceps, throwing him through the mirror, causing him to fall onto a hard concrete floor while the scary Other Taeyong loomed over him.

“You may come out when you've learned to be a loving son” he snarled before he disappeared through the mirror, leaving Chenle alone. Once he was gone, Chenle pushed himself to his feet with a scream and began banging and kicking on the mirror-door, but it was no use. He was trapped in the mirror-prison, with no way of getting out. As he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the wall, he heard a ghostly moan come from behind him, making his gasp and turn around.

“Who’s there?” he called out. In the corner of the room, he noticed an iron framed bed where there was a faint glow coming from underneath the dirty white sheet.

“Hush! And shush. For Kun might be listening” a ghostly voice whispered, making the sheet glow with every word spoken. Chenle frowned as he looked over at the bed.

“You…You mean Other Taeyong?” he panted. The glow underneath the blanket dimmed slightly, almost as if they were nodding. Chenle then slowly crept over to the bed and pulled off the blanket, revealing three ghostly young boys.

“Who are you?” he asked. The ghost boy with light skin, wavy brown hair, and brown eyes flew off the bed towards Chenle, circling around him.

“Don't remember our names, but I 'member my true mommy” he explained. Chenle looked at him with pity before he looked at the other two ghost boys, who had floated over to the boy.

“Why are you all here?” he asked.

 **“** **KUN”** the three boys stated at the same time. The boy with light tan skin, light brown hair, and brown eyes then floated over to Chenle, sighing.

“He spied on our lives through the little doll's eyes” he explained.

“And saw that we weren't happy” the boy with light skin, brown hair, and brown eyes finished.

“So he lured us away with treasures and treats” the first ghost boy started.

“And games to play” the second ghost boy added.

“Gave all that we asked” the third ghost boy continued.

“Yet we still wanted more” the second ghost boy finished.

“So we let him sew the buttons” the first ghost boy stated, floating through Chenle, leaving ghostly buttons over his eyes for a moment before they faded. Chenle gasped as the three ghostly boys appeared behind him.

“He said that he loved us” the third ghost boy explained.

“But he locked us here” the first ghost boy continued.

“And ate up our lives” the three ghost boys wailed together as they flew back to the bed and laid down, the blanket covering the three of them. Chenle looked at them with pity again before he cleared his throat.

“Um…since you can’t remember your names…do you mind if I give you some?” he asked. The three ghost boys quickly appeared through the blanket, looks of hope on their faces.

“Oh, would you?” the first ghost boy begged. Chenle smiled before he nodded.

“Sure” he replied before he pointed to the boy with the light brown hair.

“Um…you can be Yangyang” he declared before he pointed to the boy with the brown hair.

“You can be…Xiaojun” he continued before he pointed to the third ghost boy, the one with the wavy brown hair.

“And you can be…Hendery” he finished. The three ghost boys grinned brightly at their new names before they looked at Chenle.

“What’s your name?” Hendery asked. Chenle smiled slightly.

“Chenle. Zhong Chenle” he replied before he looked over at the mirror-door, his smile fading.

“Well, he can't keep me in the dark forever. Not if he wants to win my life. Beating him is my only chance” he explained, looking back at Hendery, Yangyang, and Xiaojun. The three boys looked at one another before Xiaojun floated forward.

“Perhaps, if you do win your escape, you could find our eyes” he suggested. Chenle looked at him, absolutely horrified.

“Has he taken those too?” he whispered. Xiaojun nodded.

“Mmhm. And hidden them” he explained as he, Hendery, and Yangyang covered one of their button eyes.

“Find our eyes, Chenle, and our souls will be freed” Yangyang begged. Chenle looked at the three boys before he sighed and nodded.

“I…I’ll try” he assured, just as hands appeared through the mirror and yanked him out.

~*~*~*~*~

Once outside the mirror, Chenle fought against whoever who ever had grabbed, first slamming the attacker against one wall before throwing them against the other wall. He then reached down and pulled off the mask that the attacker was wearing, only to reveal Other Jisung with his mouth stitched painfully ear to ear.

“Jisung!” Chenle exclaimed, making Other Jisung quickly cover his face. Chenle then quickly got down on his knees and reached out, pulling Other Jisung’s hands away so that he could get a good look at his face.

“Did Kun do this to you?” he whispered, horrified. Other Jisung said nothing and just stared at him, smiling painfully. Chenle’s heart broke at the sight, so he reached out and carefully removed the stitches, allowing Other Jisung’s face to return to normal.

“I hope that feels better” he started when Other Jisung quickly put a finger to his mouth and shushed him. He then pushed himself to his feet before he grabbed Chenle’s wrist and dragged him through the Other Hallway and into the room where the little door was being blocked by the giant bug armoire. The two teens then pushed against the armoire, causing it to fall over with a loud crash.

“Chenle? Is that you?” Kun’s voice called out from somewhere in the house. Chenle’s eyes widened in fear before he gently nudged Other Jisung.

“Go!” he exclaimed. Other Jisung nodded and opened the door, allowing Chenle to get on his hands and knees and look inside the tunnel, which was covered in cobwebs and old child toys. 

“Chenle” Kun called out, causing the tunnel to shake at the sound of his voice. Chenle looked back in fear before he looked over at Other Jisung and grabbed his arm.

“Come on. He’ll hurt you again” he begged. Other Jisung’s eyes widened and he shook his head, yanking his arm out of Chenle’s grasp.

“Jisung, please—” Chenle pleaded but Other Jisung removed one of his gloves and blew, reducing his hand to nothing. Chenle looked at his hand in shock.

“Jisung…” he whispered.

“CHENLE! HOW DARE YOU DISOBEY YOUR FATHER!” Kun’s voice boomed throughout the house as he walked down the stairs. Chenle and Other Jisung looked at one another, both of their eyes wide, before Other Jisung grabbed Chenle by the arm and shoved him into the tunnel, slamming the door behind him. Chenle’s eyes widened and he turned around, placing his hands on the door.

“Jisung!” he exclaimed, but there was no response. He knew he couldn’t stay there at the door forever so he turned around and began walking down the tunnel, clawing away at the spiderwebs that were blocking his path.

“Chenle!” Kun’s voice called out, spurring Chenle to move faster through the tunnel until he reached the other little door and pushed on it, diving through into the “Real” living room. Once he was safely on the other side, he spun around and slammed the little door shut, locking it with the button key that was in the lock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	14. Where Have You Gone?

Once he had locked the door, Chenle stood to his feet and looked around.

“I’M HOME!” he called out, but there was no response. He frowned and dusted off the cobwebs from his clothes before he headed down the hallway, looking around.

“Anybody here?” he called out before he walked over to the stairs and looked up them.

“Hello?” he called, but once again, no response. He huffed before he walked up the stairs and headed to Jaehyun’s office.

“Real dads?” he called, but again, no answer. He let out a groan as he headed downstairs and into the kitchen, where he saw Taeyong’s grocery bag sitting on the dining room table. 

“Oh, Dad’s groceries” he exclaimed, smiling brightly as he walked over to the bag, touching it, only to have it fall over and reveal rotten food.

“Ew…” he murmured, just as he heard the doorbell ring. His eyes brightened as he ran out of the kitchen and over to the front door, opening it.

“I missed you guys so much! You'll never—” he started, stopping when he saw that it was Jisung, the real Jisung, standing before him. And while it wasn’t his parents, Chenle was still happy to see him.

“Jisung!” he exclaimed, throwing out his arms and hugging the man. Jisung blinked before he slowly hugged Chenle back, not understanding why he was hugging him. When Chenle pulled away, Jisung smiled slightly.

“Uh, hey. So, you know that old doll that I gave you?” he asked. Chenle stiffened at the mention of it, but Jisung didn’t notice.

“Yeah, so the family is asking if they can have it back and since you currently have it, I was wondering—” Jisung started when Chenle nodded.

“Fuck yeah you can have it back!” he exclaimed as he grabbed Jisung by the wrist, dragging him through the house and up the stairs to his bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~

When Chenle and Jisung entered Chenle’s bedroom, Jisung stood awkwardly in the doorway while Chenle searched around, but he couldn’t find the fucking doll anywhere.

“God damn it, where is it?” he hissed as he began throwing pillows and blankets everywhere. Jisung frowned as he watched Chenle dig for the doll.

“Um…is something wrong?” he asked. Chenle growled as he walked over to his dresser and began yanking out clothes.

“Uh, yeah! The doll's his fucking spy. It's how he watches you, finds out what's wrong with your life” he spat as he continued to keep searching. Jisung’s frown deepened.

“Who’s spy?” he asked, concerned. 

“The Other Father. He's got this whole world where everything's better; the food, the garden, the neighbors…but it’s all a trap!” Chenle exclaimed, whirling on Jisung, who just looked at him in concern. 

“Chenle…are you okay?” he asked. Chenle let out a frustrated scream.

“I’m fine!” he screamed. Jisung took a step back in fear before he nodded slowly.

“Um, I’ll just go tell the family you can’t find it” he started when Chenle looked at him, eyes piercing.

“Don’t believe me? Ask Johnny!” he exclaimed. Jisung frowned.

“Who the hell is Johnny?” he demanded.

“Your cat! Ask him!” Chenle exclaimed. Jisung nodded before he shook his head.

“Alright, well, thanks for looking Chenle” he thanked as he turned and headed out the door and down the stairs.

“Jisung, wait!” Chenle exclaimed as he rushed after Jisung, who was heading for the front door. Jisung sighed heavily as he opened the door, stopping to look back at Chenle.

“What?” he asked. Chenle looked at him with pleading eyes.

“You have to believe me” he begged. Jisung sighed and shook his head.

“How? What you’re saying is crazy!” he exclaimed before he walked out the door, leaving Chenle standing at his door, alone. 

“Jisung!” Chenle exclaimed, but Jisung kept walking until he was swallowed up by the heavy fog that was on the ground. Chenle let out another frustrated scream before he noticed Jaehyun’s jeep parked nearby. 

“Dad!” he exclaimed excitedly, running out of the house and down the steps over to the car, where he then looked in the car window, only to find the car empty. He frowned and took a step back, pulling out his phone before dialing Jaehyun’s number.

“Pick up…please pick up” he whispered as he listened to the phone ring for a few moments before he heard a “click”.

 _“Hey—”_ Jaehyun greeted. Chenle’s eyes widened and he smiled.

“Dad!” he exclaimed.

 _“—this is Jung Jaehyun. I can’t come to the phone right now, so please leave your name and number at the beep”_ Jaehyun’s voicemail stated before there was a loud beep. Chenle blinked before he slowly lowered his phone from his ear, tears coming to his eyes.

“Where have you gone?” he whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	15. Taken

After he cried a little outside in the rain, Chenle headed downstairs to Jeno and Jaemin’s apartment. The minute the two men saw the crying teen, they quickly ushered him inside, Jaemin having him sit down on the couch while Jeno walked into the kitchen to make him a cup of tea. Once the tea was made, Jeno brought it out and handed the mug to Chenle, who sniffled and took it gratefully.

“Thank you” he croaked. Jeno nodded as he and Jaemin sat on either side of Chenle.

“We’re so sorry about your parents, Chenle” Jaemin murmured. Jeno sighed.

“If only there was some way to help…” he agreed. The two men and Chenle sat in silence until Jaemin’s head snapped up and he looked over at Jeno.

“Oh maybe there is. Jeno—” he started and Jeno nodded, quickly getting up and walking over to their shelves of old taffy, bringing one of the jars back. He then placed it down in front of Jaemin and Chenle, Chenle frowning at the candy.

“How is 100-year-old candy gonna help?” he asked, just as Jaemin summoned a pair of very sharp knitting needles and began attacking the candy, crushing it down until he created a three-sided candy with a hole in the middle. He then used the needles like a pair of chopsticks and picked up the candy, handing it over to Chenle.

“There you go darling!” he declared with a smile. 

“What’s it for?” Chenle asked as he stared at the candy. Jaemin smiled.

“Well, it might help. They're good for bad things sometimes” he explained. Jeno scoffed and shook his head.

“No. They're good for lost things” he argued. Jaemin looked over at him and narrowed his eyes and Chenle immediately knew that they were going to start arguing so he quickly threw out his hands, stopping whatever words were on their tongues. 

“Um, thank you for the…candy. And for the tea” he thanked. Jeno and Jaemin’s faces softened and they nodded.

“Of course. We really hope it does help” Jaemin murmured, gently stroking Chenle’s arm almost comfortingly. Chenle sniffled and nodded before he stood up, thanking the two men again before he headed out the door and up the stairs to his own house.

~*~*~*~*~

Later on that night, Chenle, dressed in his pajamas with a blanket over his shoulders, walked over to Jaehyun and Taeyong’s bedroom, pulling down the covers before making copies of his parents. For Taeyong he put a black sweater under one of the pillows and for Jaehyun, he put a soft black t-shirt under the other pillow. He then crawled in between the two pillows and kissed them goodnight before covered himself with his blanket, laying down.

“Goodnight dads” he whispered before he shut his eyes, immediately bursting into tears. He cried a while before he finally fell into a tear-induced slumber.

~*~*~*~*~

A little while later on into the night, Chenle was fast asleep when he felt something gently bap at his nose once then bap it again, forcing him to open his eyes. He blinked a couple of times before the blurry figure before him focused and he could see that it was Johnny, in his cat form.

“Johnny? How did you get it?” he croaked. Johnny said nothing and just stared at Chenle, who yawned.

“Do you know where my dads are?” he asked. Johnny said nothing again before he jumped off the bed and slipped out the door, making Chenle groan as he threw off his blankets and jumped out of bed, following after the black cat. He followed Johnny down the stairs and down the hallway to the mirror at the end of it. Chenle frowned at the mirror before it suddenly frosted over and he could see Taeyong and Jaehyun inside, both men clinging to one another to try and keep warm.

“DAD!” he cried. Taeyong and Jaehyun then noticed him and Taeyong took a step forward, writing **H-E-L-P-U-S** on the icy glass before he took a step back, burying himself in Jaehyun’s arms again. The image then faded, leaving Chenle to stare at his reflection.

“NO!” he screamed before he began beating on the mirror until he let out a frustrated scream and punched the glass, shattering it, causing it to fall around him. Chenle let out a hiss as he looked at his bloodied fist before he fell to the floor, crying. From behind him, Johnny watched him for a moment before he jumped over the broken glass and landed next to Chenle, nudging him gently with his head. Chenle then looked at him, tears streaming down his face.

“How did this happen?” he demanded. Johnny said nothing before he turned and jumped over the broken glass, forcing Chenle to his feet as he followed after him, back into his parent’s bedroom. Johnny then walked over to the bed and stuck his head underneath the bed, pulling out a brand new doll that had Taeyong on one side and Jaehyun on the other. He then held it out to Chenle, who took it in his hands and looked at it with wide eyes before he growled.

“He’s taken them” he snarled. He then stood to his feet, doll still in his hand, and head back downstairs, heading over to the fireplace. He then created a fire before he chucked the doll inside, watching as it crackled and burned into nothing. After the doll burned, he and Johnny sat in front of the fire, silence between the supernatural being and the teenager. Chenle then took a breath before he looked up at the mantle, noticing the plethora of snow globes on it. He pushed himself to his feet and looked at the snow globes before he reached out and grabbed his favorite snow globe, holding it in both hands.

“They're not coming back, are they? At least…not on their own” he mused, glancing down at Johnny, who just blinked slowly back up at him. Chenle sighed before he looked over at the locked little door, sighing heavier.

“Only one thing to do” he declared.

~*~*~*~*~

After Chenle put the snow globe back onto the mantle, he rushed back upstairs to his room, quickly cleaning and bandaging his hand before getting dressed in a pair of combat boots, ripped black jeans, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket, something he knew Jaehyun and Taeyong would approve of if they saw him wearing it. He then grabbed his satchel bag, a pair of shears, and then grabbed his Japanese schoolboy cap, placing it on his head. As he moved his hat, the strange triangle candy that Jaemin and Jeno gave him fell to the floor, making him look down at it. He considered leaving it behind but at the last minute, he grabbed it and stuck it in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	16. Deal with the Devil

After Chenle got everything that he needed (he also grabbed Jaehyun’s quiver full of arrows and bow), he walked down the stairs into the living room and over to the little door, unlocking it, leaving the key in the lock. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Chenle turned on the flashlight app and used it as a light as he began crawling through, Johnny following beside him. As they crawled down the tunnel, Chenle’s phone light casted huge, flickering shadows along the wall.

“You know, kid, you're walking right into his trap” Johnny stated, his voice finally returning to him. Chenle sighed.

“I have to go back. They’re my parents” he explained, tears pricking at his eyes. Johnny hummed.

“Challenge him, then. He may not play fair, but he won't refuse. He's got a thing for games” he suggested. Chenle hummed at the suggestion.

“Okay” he agreed, just as the other door clicked open. 

“Chenle?” a voice called out, making Chenle’s eyes widen. 

“Dad?” he replied, quickly turning off his phone light and sticking it in his back pocket.

“Lele! You came back for us!” Taeyong, who was framed in the open door and back-lit in blue, exclaimed. 

“Dad!” Chenle cried, quickly standing up halfway before running through the tunnel, right into the arms of his father.

“Dad!” he exclaimed. 

“Darling…why would you run away from me?” Taeyong asked, slowly shifting into Kun, causing Chenle to gasp and push him away. He then looked up at Kun, tears in his eyes.

“Where are my dads?!” he exclaimed. Kun shrugged.

“I have no idea where your “old” parents are. Perhaps they've grown bored of you and ran away to France?” he replied, smiling mockingly at Chenle. Chenle shook his head.

“They didn’t run away; you fucking stole them!” he screamed. Kun sighed and rolled his eyes.

“Don't be difficult, Chenle. Why don’t you have a seat?” he suggested, just as Other Jaehyun, who was much saggier and nothing like his original other self, came up behind Chenle and picked him up, placing him into one of Kun’s bug chairs before stepping back. Kun, standing by the little door, turned to it and clapped his hands. A moment later, a huge rat skittered out of the tunnel, filled again with spider webs and children's things, carrying the key from the real world door. Kun let out a little hum as he took the key and shut the little door, locking it with the key before stepping back as the large bug armoire skittered over and sat down in front of it. Kun then opened his mouth and tilted his head back, dropping the key down his throat and into his stomach.

“Why don’t you have your own key?” Chenle demanded. Other Jaehyun shook his head.

“Only one key” he murmured, making Kun quickly walk over to him and grab him by the arm.

“The garden squash need tending, don't you think, pumpkin?” he asked, quickly turning him around and pushing him towards the door. 

“Squish squash, pumpkin sauce...” Other Jaehyun sang as he was pushed out. Once they were gone, Chenle sat in the bug chair, hanging his head, when he suddenly heard a loud squeaking sound, kind of like the sound that Taeyong’s finger made when he wrote on the mirror. His head immediately shot up and he jumped off the chair, looking around.

“Dads!” he exclaimed. He heard the squeaking sound again, making him look around some more.

“Where’d he hide you?” he whispered, just as he heard a little bell off in the distance.

“Breakfast time” Kun’s voice called from the kitchen. Chenle froze before he sighed and headed towards the kitchen, where he saw Kun cooking at the stove.

 _‘Be strong Chenle’_ he thought to himself before he stepped into the dining room, heading over to the dining table, sitting down. As he sat at the table, he noticed the box with the buttons, needle, and thread sitting before him, making him begin to sweat. As Kun continued to sing and cook, Chenle looked over at him.

“Why don't we play a game? I know you like them” he suggested. 

“Everybody likes…games” Kun replied, black button eyes shining at the suggestion. Chenle hummed. 

“Uh-huh” he agreed as bacon sizzled on the stove.

“What kind of game would it be?” Kun asked, unable to help himself.

“An exploring game. A finding things game” Chenle replied. Kun smirked.

“And what is it you'd be finding, Chenle?” he asked, tapping his fingers on the counter.

“My real parents” Chenle declared. Kun tsked and shook his head.

“Too easy” he replied in a sing-song voice.

“And the eyes of the ghost children” Chenle added, making Kun smirk as he turned and walked over to the dining room table, placing the omelet and bacon on Chenle’s plate.

“What if you don't find them?” he asked. Chenle took a deep breath before he looked into Kun’s black button eyes.

“If I lose, I'll stay here with you forever and let you love me. And let you sew buttons into my eyes” he offered. Kun smiled and hummed, liking the idea.

“And if you somehow _win_ this game?” he asked. 

“Then you let me go. You let everyone go. My real dads, the dead children, everyone you've trapped here” he declared. Kun thought about it for a moment before he held out his hand.

“Deal” he replied. Chenle looked at his hand before he looked up at him.

“Not till you give me a clue” he stated. Kun sighed dramatically before he placed his hands on his hips.

“Fine. In each of three wonders I've made just for you, a ghost's eye is lost in plain sight” he stated. Chenle hummed.

“And for my parents?” he asked. Kun just chuckled and tapped on his button eyes, signaling that the game had begun. Chenle sighed.

“Fine, don’t tell me” he grumbled as he turned away from Kun, crossing his arms. He sat there for a moment, thinking it over, before he sighed.

“It’s a deal” he declared, turning around to shake Kun’s hand, only to find that Kun had disappeared and that the tapping sound was the sound of the faucet dripping. His eyes widened and he quickly stood up, walking over to the sink, gripping the edge of it.

“What does he mean “wonders”?” he whined. Just then, he looked up and through the window, he saw the garden of his face lit up, almost as if it was answering his question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	17. Three Wonders

After eating the breakfast Kun made him (while he didn’t like the guy, he wasn’t going to turn down free breakfast), Chenle stepped out the back door and headed towards the garden, whose bright magic was now faded, pushing open the creaky metal gates. As he stepped inside, he walked past dimly lit pitcher plants and then walked up the stairs past the bleeding heart plants, which were actually “bleeding” sticky red juice onto the wall, making Chenle scrunch his face up in disgust. Once he was at the top of the stairs, he walked into the middle of the garden, looking around. Near his feet, the snap dragons snapped feebly at him, but instead of being scared of them, he just stomped them down one by one with his foot. While he was destroying them, behind him, the brick tree ring opened up like a monster’s mouth and four huge, pale snapdragons slunk out, two of them grabbing him by the legs, knocking him to the ground. When he fell, all the arrows from Jaehyun’s quiver fell out as well as all of the contents from his satchel. 

“GAH!” he screamed as the snap dragons grabbed him by his ankles, knees, hips, waist, and shoulder and began rolling him up like a burrito, dragging him towards the tree ring. Chenle kicked and struggled against the snap dragons, pulling himself with one arm towards his garden shears, which he was able to grab. He then spun around and snipped off one of the snap dragon’s head before he attacked the other ones, cutting them off of him as well. Once the heads were gone, he watched as the bodies of the snap dragons slunk back into the tree ring, which then snapped shut, leaving him alone again. Chenle stared at the tree ring with wide eyes, panting harshly, as a trio of hummingbird wasps flew towards him. Chenle quickly covered his head, afraid of being attacked, but the wasps weren’t after him, they were after the triangle candy that Jeno and Jaemin had made him. The three wasps then lifted up the candy with their beaks and began to fly away, making Chenle gasp.

“No!” he cried before he quickly removed the bow from around his body and grabbed three arrows, notching one of them against the string. He then pulled back and fired, hitting one wasp before notching another arrow. He fired that arrow before notching the final arrow, releasing that one as well. Thanks to Jaehyun’s training with bow and arrows, Chenle was a pretty damn good shot as he hit every wasp dead one. The three wasps then fell out of the sky, making Chenle run over to where they landed, noticing that the triangle candy was fine, even though it had fallen from such a high altitude.

“Why steal this?” he wondered aloud as he picked up the triangle candy, looking at it for a moment before putting it up to his eye, gasping when he realized that the candy showed the world to be black and white instead of colorful.

“Holy shit” he breathed as he looked around at the world. As he looked around, he noticed something like a bright red ember, making his eyes widen as he pulled the candy away and put it in his pocket.

“That must be it” he whispered, just as the praying mantis tractor came to life, with Other Jaehyun, controlled by the mechanical piano hands, at the reins.

“AH!” Chenle exclaimed, covering his eyes from the bright lights of the tractor’s eyes as the mechanical hands used Other Jaehyun’s hands to force the tractor to shift gears and attack Chenle, its arms slashing. 

“Sorrry, so sorrry, Taaaaeeeyyyooong making meeee” Other Jaehyun apologized as Chenle backed away from the tractor, who continued towards him, its arms still slashing and hacking. Chenle then slowly continued to back up onto the wooden bridge that spanned the fountain while Other Jaehyun and the tractor continued forward.

“Don't waaaanno hurrrrrt you” Other Jaehyun exclaimed as the tractor’s claws hacked and stabbed through the planks in front of it. Before the tractor could continue any further, it fell through the hole it had created, hanging there precariously. While it was hanging there, Other Jaehyun used his foot and kicked away one of the mechanical hands, allowing him to grab the eye off the gear stick. 

“Taaaake it!!!!!” he moaned, holding it up in the air as the tractor fell through the hole. Chenle’s eyes widened and he quickly ran over to the hole, grabbing the eye from Other Jaehyun’s hand, watching as he and the tractor slipped into the fountain, never to be seen again. Once Other Jaehyun and the tractor were beneath the lily pads in the fountain, a gray wave rippled over the garden, turning everything gray and ashen. Chenle gasped in shock as he looked around at the dead garden when suddenly the ghost eye glowed bright red.

 _“Thank you Chenle! You found me! But there’s two eyes still lost!”_ Yangyang exclaimed from the eye before it faded back to normal. Chenle looked at the eye before he nodded.

“Don’t worry. I’m getting the hang of it” he panted, just as he heard a strange sound in the sky, so he looked up to see the beginning of what looked to be a lunar eclipse. He then looked over at the Other House, still brightly colored, and narrowed his eyes.

“Guess we go there next” he murmured as he walked down the other side of the bridge, collecting the contents of his satchel from where they had fallen out, placing them back inside the satchel. He then also picked up Jaehyun’s bow and quiver, returning all of the arrows to it. He then crossed his satchel one way across his body before crossing his bow the other way across his body. Finally, he placed the quiver on his right shoulder and nodded.

“Alright…let’s do this” he murmured as he started towards the house.

~*~*~*~*~

Once Chenle reached the house, he headed towards Other Jaemin and Other Jeno’s apartment, standing at the top of the stairs looking down. He could hear the song that the two men performed playing inside, but it sounded darker and more haunting, unlike the first time it was performed. Chenle gulped and clutched at his bow before he took a deep breath and headed downstairs, opening the door. He then stepped inside and pushed one of the curtains back, peaking inside, only to find an empty theatre. 

“Fuck…” he whispered, taking a step forward, only to hear something crunch under his feet, so he looked down to see the Scottie dog’s flashlight lying there.

“Definitely gonna need this” he murmured as he picked it up, turning it on. He then shone it around the dark theatre, looking for any sign of life, when he heard a sound from above, so he looked up, shining the flashlight as he did so, and found all of the Scottie dogs from earlier transformed into Scottie bats with glowing red eyes. As he shone the flashlight on the bats, one of them opened up their wings and let out a snarl, startling Chenle into immediately turning off the flashlight, placing it in his other back pocket. The bat growled again before he closed his wings again and shut his eyes, going back to sleep. Chenle shuddered in fear and took a step back, only to have one of the stage’s spotlights turn on, causing him to jump. He then looked towards the stage to see a huge, wrapped saltwater taffy suspended from ropes and sandbags.

“What the fuck…” he whispered as he slowly made his way towards the stage, cautiously jumping up onto it. He then slowly walked towards the taffy, noticing that he could see something inside the wrapper, and it looked almost…human like. Once he stood before the wrapper, he pulled the triangle candy out of his jeans pocket and held it up to his eye, looking inside the wrapper. There he saw soft glowing blue orb, which looked like it was enclosed between two hands. He pulled the candy away from his eye and put it back into his pocket before he took a deep breath and stuck his hand inside the wrapper, pulling out two clasped-together cold, blue and white taffy hands: Other Jeno’s and Other Jaemin’s. Chenle looked at the clasped hands in disgust before he took another deep breath and slowly reached forward, unclasping the fingers before pulling the hands apart to reveal a large pearl ring on Other Jaemin’s hand. 

“The pearl!” he whispered, reaching inside to take the pearl when the two hands suddenly closed around his hand, making him scream in fear.

“Thief!!” Other Jeno and Other Jaemin screamed at the same time as their heads thrusted through the taffy wrapper.

“Give it back!” they screeched as Chenle quickly backpeddled away, hand still stuck in Jeno and Jaemin’s grasp.

“Thief!” Other Jeno screamed as Other Jaemin stuck their other entwined hand out and began to pull themselves closer to Chenle, ropes swaying on the pulleys behind them.

“Give it back!” Other Jaemin screeched. Chenle pulled with all his might against Other Jaemin and Other Jeno’s grasp, but their hold on him was just too strong. He then looked over his shoulder at the Scottie bats, who were chilling on the rigging, and quickly pulled the flashlight from his back pocket, pointing it at the Scottie bats. He then began flicking it on and off, trying to get the bats attention while Other Jeno and Other Jaemin pulled themselves closer to him.

“Thief! Thief! Thief! Give it back! Thief! Give it back! Give it back! Thief! Stop thief! Thief! Stop!” Other Jeno and Other Jaemin shrieked at the same time. Chenle ignored their shrieking and continued to flash the Scottie bats, who opened their wings and growled in annoyance at the light. Chenle then pointed the flashlight at Other Jeno and Other Jaemin, who were right on top of him. 

“THEIF!” Other Jeno and Other Jaemin screamed as they attacked him, sending him to the floor. Chenle let out a cry before he launched the flashlight at the bats, hitting one of them in the face. The Scottie bats let out cries of anger before they unfurled their wings and launched themselves off the rigging, flying towards Other Jeno and Other Jaemin, attacking them head on. The collision was so powerful that it sent Other Jeno and Other Jaemin flying backwards, and as they flew backwards, Other Jeno and Other Jaemin released Chenle’s hand, just as they and the Scottie bats turned to stone, turning ashy and gray, just like the garden. All around him, the stage and theatre turned to stone as well, just as the pearl in his hand pulsed blue.

 _“Hurry Chenle! His web’s unwinding!”_ Hendery exclaimed. Chenle nodded, quickly placing the pearl in his satchel before he sighed.

“Two down…one to go” he declared. 

~*~*~*~*~

After leaving Other Jeno and Other Jaemin’s apartment, he headed up the stairs to the main grounds before turning to head upstairs to Other Renjun’s apartment. As he headed up the stairs, he looked up to see the pale moon was now nearly half-eclipsed. 

“Shit” he hissed before he quickly hurried up the stairs, stopping at the top when he saw Jisung’s clothes floating in the wind like a flag.

“Jisung…” he whined before he turned and looked out over the property.

“You sorry son of a bitch! I’m not afraid of you!” he screamed, just as the door to Other Renjun’s apartment creaked open behind him, making him jump. Fuck what he just said. He was fucking terrified as hell.

~*~*~*~*~

Chenle then stepped away from the railing and walked over to the apartment door, pushing it open before stepping inside. Once he was inside, he shut the door behind him and began to look around. The cannons and Ferris wheel were dark and quiet; pale green moonlight shining in patches through holes in the apartment while the edges and corners of the room were dark. As Chenle walked through the two rows of cannons, he felt like something was behind him so he quickly turned around, clutching at the bow on his chest. Other Renjun suddenly appeared, or his coat appeared, as his body could no longer be seen.

“Hello…Chenle…” he slurred. Chenle gulped as he took a fearful step back.

“Hi…” he replied shakily as he eyed Other Renjun up and down. His tall, crooked hat was pulled so low and his collar so high that his face was completely hidden. Chenle couldn’t see any of his other body parts either. Other Renjun then did a wave with his arms and produced the little circus ball that his main mouse had been riding on.

“Is this what you’re looking for?” he asked. Chenle’s eyes widened and he quickly pulled out the triangle candy, holding it up to his eye to see if the ball was a ghost eye. When it glowed brightly in the triangle, he nodded.

“Uh-huh” he replied as he lowered the triangle and reached out to grab the ball. However, Other Renjun was too quick and snatched the ball back before bending backwards onto all fours, skittering away from Chenle.

“You think winning is a good thing?” Other Renjun called out as he hid in the shadows from Chenle, who let out a soft groan as he pulled out his triangle candy, holding it up to his eye to try and find Other Renjun.

“You'll just go home and be bored and neglected...” Other Renjun continued, his voice distorted as he slithered up a pole behind Chenle like a snake.

“…same as always” he finished, swinging upside-down from his ankles, his head stopping right by Chenle’s, making him quickly turn around, eyes wide with fear.

“Stay here with us; we will listen to you and laugh with you!” Other Renjun exclaimed before he fell on his head, sitting there for a moment before he slithered into the tent, leaving Chenle blinking in shock before he sighed. He really didn’t want to follow him into the tent, but he had the last ghost eye so…he didn’t really have a choice. Chenle got down on his hands and knees in front of the tent, reaching out and pulling aside one of the curtains, looking in to see Other Renjun perched on a moldy wheel of cheese, almost like he was a mouse.

“If you stay here, you can have whatever you want! Always!” Other Renjun exclaimed, his limbs moving as if they didn’t have any bones in them. Chenle frowned as he crawled forward into the tent, standing to his feet as he pulled his triangle candy out of his pocket, holding it up to his eye to see where the ghost eye was. He found the eye glowing inside of his hat, so once he knew where it was, he put the candy away.

“You don’t get it…do you?” he asked softly as he slowly made his way towards Other Renjun.

“I don’t understand” Other Renjun replied, body flopping around. Chenle shook his head.

“Of course you don’t understand. You're just a copy he made of the real Renjun” he explained softly as small little lumps began to move under the back of Other Renjun’s coat.

“Not even that anymore” Other Renjun stated, voice distorted…yet sad. Chenle swallowed before he stepped forward, reaching out and grabbing Other Renjun’s hat, yanking it off his head. However, instead of a head, a huge pale rat sat there, the ghost eye in its clutches. It then let out a shriek, causing Chenle to jump back in fear, before it dove down into the collar as rats jumped out of the coat sleeves and pants legs, scattering everywhere as the clothes collapsed. Chenle shuddered, just as the huge rat on the cheese wheel rolled past him, still clutching at the ghost eye. Chenle’s eyes widened and he rushed out of the tent after the rat, who just rolled around on the wheel of cheese as the other rats ran over to the cannons and turned them so that they were pointing at Chenle. Chenle ignored the cannons and took off towards the rat on the wheel of cheese, who just squeaked before rolling the wheel towards the door as the rats started firing off the cannons, causing cotton candy to come flying towards Chenle, hitting him in the side, legs, and ribs, causing him to stumble and fall, since the shots were like actual punches. 

“No! Fuck!” he screamed as he landed on the floor. A pet door, perfectly shaped for the rat on the wheel, appeared in the front door as the rat approached. Chenle looked up to see the rat on the wheel heading for the pet door, making his eyes widen as he dropped the quiver, pulling out an arrow first before he yanked off the bow, notching the arrow before firing it at the rat. However, the rat ducked, dodging the arrow with ease as it flew out the door and into the night. The rat then slipped through the pet door, causing Chenle to let out a scream.

“NOOO!” he yelled as he stood to his feet, grabbing his quiver as he rushed towards the door. Before he could reach the door, two rats stood up on their front paws and tied their tails together, causing Chenle to trip and fall, crashing through the door. He then landed against the metal balcony, groaning in pain as his back hit the metal bars. He laid there for a moment before he felt the balcony and attached stairway fall away from the house.

“Nooooo!!” he screamed as he fell towards the ground. The whole rig, with Chenle on top, rotated as it collapsed, throwing Chenle toward the front of the house when it hit the ground, causing Chenle to black out for a moment. When he woke a moment later, he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees and scanned past the topiaries and poplars and white gravel driveway, looking for the cheese-wheel rat and circus ball. However, no rat or circus ball could be found. As he was searching, he noticed a giant shadow on the ground, so he looked up to see the moon being nearly covered by a large black button shadow. He stared at the moon for a while, ignoring his stinging hands and knees that were covered in scrapes and Jaehyun’s bow, broken by the fall, since all he could feel was cold hard loss.

“I’ve lost the game…I’ve lost everything” he croaked before he began to sob, hanging his head in shame as hot tears flowed down his cheeks. Above him, the band of light that was illuminating his crying form slowly narrowed until it was nearly gone when suddenly the huge rat and circus ball dropped before him, halting the disappearance of the moon.

“Don’t cry, kid” a voice soothed, making Chenle look up to see Johnny, in his cat form, sitting before him, licking his paw as the rat, with sawdust coming out of its neck, lay at its feet.

“I believe I mentioned that I don't like rats at the best of times, right?” he asked as he shifted into his human form, picking up the circus ball. Chenle sniffled and wiped his eyes as he pushed himself to his feet and walked over to Johnny, standing about chest level with him, since Johnny was about a good head or two taller than him.

“I think you might have said something like that, yeah” he replied, chuckling. Johnny smiled as he held out the circus ball to him.

“It looked like you needed this one, however” he stated as he dropped the ball into Chenle’s open hand. Chenle then then opened his satchel and placed the ghost eye inside, both he and Johnny watching as the entire world around them turned ashen gray. Chenle then looked over at his bow and sighed, picking it up.

“Dad’s gonna kill me when he finds out I broke his bow…” he murmured. Johnny raised an eyebrow before he stepped forward and place a hand on the bow, mending it as if it was nothing. Chenle’s eyes widened before he looked at Johnny, smiling brightly.

“Thank you” he thanked as he placed the bow across his body. Johnny then snapped his fingers, placing a new quiver on Chenle’s right shoulder.

“You might need that” he stated. Chenle’s smile brightened even more before it fell and he looked towards the house.

“I’m heading inside. I still have to find my dads” he declared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	18. Boss Battle

As he and Johnny stared at the house, the stalled eclipse started again, and in one beat, the last sliver of green moon was fully blacked out. The edges of the button shadow started to flake away and strange insect thrumming had begun as grey paint chips began to fall from above. Confused, both Chenle and Johnny looked up to see that the huge button shadow had been eaten away to nothing and the sky around it was also being eaten away, revealing dirty white light. The destruction traveled from sky to the distant hills, the sound of a million, invisible locusts growing louder. Johnny let out a soft growl as he and Chenle, deeply concerned, looked around as the destruction traveled up the driveway, pulling apart the poplars and unraveling the topiary bushes. As they stood there, both Johnny and Chenle slowly began to realize that they were standing in the center of a fucking shrinking island and it was only getting worse as the ground beneath their feet began to crack. Chenle let out cry of fear, making Johnny look over at him before he rushed over, scooping him into his arms.

“I got you” he assured he ran up the disintegrating porch, carrying Chenle through the front door, slamming it shut just as everything disappeared into nothing.

~*~*~*~*~

Once they were safely inside, Johnny put Chenle safely on the ground, breathing heavily.

“Thanks hyung” Chenle thanked, looking over at Johnny, who nodded.

“No…problem” he panted. Chenle then looked down the Other Hallway, which was dark and stable, towards the living room, which spilled poisonous green light. He then looked over at Johnny, nudging him with his shoulder before motioning with his chin towards the light. Johnny nodded and soon the two of them slowly made their way down the hall, not noticing that the wallpaper peeled up as they walked by.

~*~*~*~*~

When they stepped into the living room, a poisonous green fire burned in the fireplace while the bug furniture looked grey as they twitched, almost as if they were malfunctioning. Chenle flinched and scooted closer to Johnny as he looked around the room, trying to find any sign of Jaehyun and Taeyong while Johnny remained as a silent wall of comfort at his side. As he scanned the room, he sensed Kun behind him, a creature he no longer viewed as any sort of father figure but one he viewed as a demon, an actual creature of Hell. He then turned to see Kun sitting hunched on the sofa, face hidden.

“So, you're back…” he started, his voice sounding dry and tired as he turned towards Chenle, revealing his true face, which was cracked and peeling, just like his world.

“…and you brought vermin with you?” he continued, narrowing his eyes at Johnny, who just let out a low growl, stepping closer to Chenle. Chenle shook his head as he stepped in front of Johnny, whose eyes widened in shock at the gesture.

“No I…I brought a friend” he replied. Kun hummed as he stood to his feet, now standing over twelve feet tall. He was withered to the bone; with plate-like shoulders and hips; his coat tail bustle now an arachnid's tail section. This was his final and true form, one that was more terrifying than the last. He then reached out and gently booped Chenle with his long needle-like finger.

“You know I love you” he stated flatly, a thin smile on his face. Chenle gulped.

“You…have a funny way of showing it” he replied as he reached out and grasped Johnny’s hand, silently telling him that he was scared. Kun smiled as he turned away before turning back, holding out his hands.

“So…where are they? The ghost eyes?” he asked. Chenle narrowed his eyes before he let go of Johnny’s hand and reached into his satchel, pulling out the three ghost eyes, holding them up so that Kun could see them. He then began to put them into Kun’s hands when he stopped himself, pulling them back.

“Hold on…we aren’t finished yet. Are we?” he asked, looking into Kun’s black button eyes. Kun sighed, exasperated.

“No, I suppose not. After all, you still need to find your old parents, don't you?” he asked before he smiled darkly.

“Too bad you won't have this” he sneered as he held up the triangle candy that he somehow stole from Chenle’s bag. Chenle’s eyes widened as he watched Kun chuck the candy into the poisonous green fire, the man chuckling as he watched the candy melt into nothing. Chenle continued to stare at the fire when the third ghost eye suddenly glowed, grabbing his and Johnny’s attention. The fallen angel and teen looked at each other before they glanced at Kun, who thankfully wasn’t paying attention to them, before turning away to look at the ghost eye.

 _“Be clever, Chenle! Even if you win, he’ll never let you go!”_ Xiaojun advised before the eye returned to the normal circus ball. Chenle frowned at the advice before he glanced up at the little door hidden behind the armoire and suddenly, it hit him: he needed Kun to unlock it. 

“But how…?” he wondered aloud before an idea hit him. He then turned back to face Kun.

“I already know where you've hidden them” he called out in his bravest voice. Kun turned from the fire, a mixture of concern and skepticism on his face.

“Oh? Then produce them” he ordered. Chenle paused before he pointed to the little door.

“They're behind that door” he declared.

“Oh they are, are they?” Kun whispered as he walked towards the door, moving in a strange way, almost as if he had four legs instead of two. He then signaled for the armoire bug to move, his back to Chenle. While he was preoccupied with the door, Chenle took a step back towards the fire, suddenly hearing the sound of fingers on a wet glass. His eyes lit up and he looked around, trying to figure out where the sound came from, when Johnny pointed to the mantle.

“There!” he whispered. Chenle turned and saw that he was pointing to the zoo snow globe that was opaque with frost. As Chenle stared at the snow globe, he watched as a small section of glass was wiped clear from inside by a tiny forearm and there he saw Jaehyun and Taeyong, both still freezing, but with smiles on their faces. Chenle smiled slightly as tears came to his eyes.

“Dads!” he whispered excitedly, reaching out to grab the snow globe when he heard a horrible hacking cough, so he quickly retracted his hands and turned to see Kun with his hand under his mouth, nearly hacking up a lung before the button key fell into his hand. Once the key was in his hand, he turned and smiled at Chenle expectantly.

“Go on. Open it! They’ll be there alright” Chenle assured, lying through his teeth. Kun shook his head as he leaned down, placing the key in the lock before turning it, opening the little door to reveal nothing but darkness and cobwebs.

“You're wrong, Chenle! They aren’t there” he declared in a sing-song voice before he turned to look at Chenle.

“Now! You’re going to stay here forever” he gloated, summoning a sharp needle and a spool of black thread. Chenle shook his head as he stood tall before Kun.

“No…I’m…” he started as Johnny transformed back into his cat form, jumping into Chenle’s hands as he lifted him over his head.

**“** **NOT!”** he screamed as he hurled Johnny at Kun. Johnny then let out a loud yowl, one that sounded almost like a lion’s roar, before landing on the astonished demon’s face. Johnny then began to claw and bite at Kun, distracting him enough for Chenle to grab the snow globe and stick it into his satchel before moving slowly and carefully towards the little door from the other side. Kun fought and flailed with Johnny, who howled like a banshee before raising his paws and extending his claws, clawing out Kun’s button eyes, with fell to the floor with a soft clatter.

**“** **NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”** Kun screamed as he grabbed Johnny and chucked him away, causing him to land on the armoire, before he covered his face.

**“** **YOU HORRIBLE CHEATING BOY!”** he shrieked before he stomped on the floor, causing the floorboards to rise up in a spiral and reveal a giant spiderweb that stretched down into a fifty-foot pit underneath. Below the web was nothing but pale nothingness, which, when you think about it, is pretty damn terrifying. As Chenle fell with a scream to the bottom of the web, Johnny managed to scramble from the armoire to the little door and disappear into the tunnel. As Chenle lay trapped at the bottom of the web, Kun let out a maniacal laugh before he leapt down into the web like a huge, flying spider. Chenle’s eyes widened and he quickly managed to pull himself outside of the trap just as Kun landed on the space where he used to be. Kun, furious that Chenle had escaped, scrambled around blindly.

**“** **NO! WHERE ARE YOU?! YOU SELFISH BRAT!”** he screamed as Chenle continued to climb up the web towards the top. When Kun heard no reply, he placed one hand on one of the web strings and covered his ear with his other hand, leaning in so that he could feel the vibration on the thread, almost like a spider. When Chenle was almost at the top, he quickly crawled back inside the web, only to get his quiver stuck on the sticky web.

“Shit” he hissed as he began to pull on the quiver until it broke free, eyes widening when he realized that when the quiver broke free, it sent a vibration down the web towards Kun, who turned when he felt it.

**“** **Hahaha”** Kun laughed, finally knowing where his prey was. He then quickly began to climb up the web, spurring Chenle to climb towards the little door with more speed. He soon reached the door and crawled inside, but Kun was right at his heels.

**“** **YOU DARE DISOBEY YOUR FATHER?!”** Kun screamed, thrusting his head inside the tunnel. Chenle’s eyes widened and he kicked Kun in the face with his boot, knocking himself and Kun back with the force. When Kun staggered back, Chenle quickly pushed himself to his knees and crawled towards the door, grabbing onto the handle and pulling with all his might to try and get it to shut, but Kun’s needle hands grabbed the door and the frame and began trying to pull it open. As Chenle struggled against Kun, Yangyang, Xiaojun and Hendery’s ghostly hands floated out of their eyes and over to Chenle, their own hands wrapping around the knob and pulling as well.

“PLEASE…SHUT!!” Chenle begged. With the combined strength of the ghost boys and Chenle, the door began to shut just as Kun thrusted a clawed hand into the gap, hoping to grasp at Chenle. However, Yangyang, Xiaojun, and Hendery wouldn’t allow Kun to get Chenle, so they tripled their strength, allowing Chenle to finally shut the door and cut off Kun’s hand in the process. The ghostly hands then disappeared as Chenle stared down at Kun’s dismembered hand in shock before remembering that he had to lock the damn door, so he grabbed the key that he had taken from the lock in the Other World and quickly placed it into the lock on his side of the door, locking it just as an inhuman shriek echoed through the tunnel.

**“** **NOOOO, DON’T LEAVE ME!”** Kun shrieked from the other side of the door as green light began to pour from the cracks as it was pounded from the other side. Chenle’s eyes widened in fear as he quickly stood to half-standing before he took off down the tunnel, running as fast as he could as the little door pounded behind him, collapsing the tunnel as it did.

**“** **DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE ME!!! I'LL DIE WITHOUT YOU!!!!** ” Kun screamed as the pounding grew more insistent and the green flashing light became brighter. Chenle ignored Kun’s screams and continued to run down the collapsing tunnel, the light from the real world straight ahead. With the last amount of energy within him, Chenle flung himself through the little door and turned to watch as the other little door continued to pound its way towards him, but before anything could happen, he grabbed the little door on his side and slammed it shut, locking it just as the little door from the Other World and the little door from the Real World collided, creating a loud crash, sending Chenle stumbling back a foot or so. He thought that the Real World door would break from impact, but to his surprise, the little door held, locked tight. Chenle stared at it for a moment before he let out a sigh of relief, throwing his head back. It was finally over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	19. Terrible Danger

After that whole fiasco, Chenle collapsed on his back, panting heavily before he remembered that he had the snow globe in his satchel. He then quickly sat up, removing the bow from around him before he took off the satchel strap from across his body and opened the bag, looking inside, only to find the ghost eyes and his garden shears. He frowned, where was the snow globe? He then got on all fours, hissing as he began to search for the snow globe, forgetting that he was still scraped up from the fall in the Other World. As he crawled over to the fireplace, his hand hit a small puddle, making him look down to see that it looked like water, with little flecks of blue glitter in it. He then looked up onto the mantle, noticing the missing snow globe. He quickly stood to his feet and stared at it, noticing that it was broken open and that neither his parents nor the fountain bears were inside. As the last of the snowy liquid drained from the globe, Chenle’s face clouded with confusion and fear: where the fuck were his dads?

“Lele, we’re home” Taeyong’s voice called out, making Chenle turn to see Jaehyun and Taeyong walk into the house, completely covered in snow.

“Dads! I missed you so much!” he exclaimed, running over to the two men, throwing his arms around them. Taeyong and Jaehyun looked at each other with concern as Taeyong glanced over at Chenle.

“Missed us?” he repeated as he pulled away, looking over Chenle’s shoulder when he noticed the broken snow globe.

“Oh no, you broke my favorite snow globe!” he exclaimed with a pout. Chenle’s eyes widened and he shook his head as he pulled away.

“I didn’t break it. It must have broken when you escaped!” he exclaimed. Jaehyun then looked down at Chenle’s hands and knees, noticing that they were scraped and bloody.

“And you hurt yourself! Chenle, what happened to you while we were away?” he exclaimed, looking at his son with concern. Chenle blinked, eyes watering with tears as he shook his head.

“I…I don’t…” he started when Jaehyun stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him.

“Shh…it’s okay…don’t cry” he soothed, rubbing his back comfortingly. Taeyong then walked over to them, reaching out and gently stroking his hair.

“It’s okay, baby” he comforted. Chenle sniffled, pulling away from Jaehyun’s warm embrace, and wiped his eyes. Taeyong then reached out, gently stroking his son’s cheek before smiling.

“Why don’t you get yourself cleaned up? We’re going out tonight” he declared. Jaehyun nodded, smiling.

“We’ve got a lot to celebrate” he added. Chenle frowned as he looked at his parents.

“You’re…talking about your garden catalogue, right?” he asked. Jaehyun and Taeyong nodded.

“Of course” Taeyong replied before he and Jaehyun turned to leave the room.

“But what about the snow on your clothes—” Chenle started when he watched as the snow on both Jaehyun and Taeyong’s clothes melted, disappearing as if they were never there. Jaehyun then turned back to look at Chenle, frowning.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Chenle?” he asked, real concern in his voice. Chenle blinked before he nodded.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine” he assured. Jaehyun frowned but took his word for it as he followed after Taeyong, who was also looking at Chenle with concern. Once they were gone, Chenle was left standing alone in the living room, confused as to what just happened. He then shook his head before he walked out of the living room, not wanting to be in there anymore.

~*~*~*~*~

Later that evening, after a fun night out, Chenle was sitting on his bed, dressed in his pajamas with the key around his neck, his hands and knees cleaned and bandaged as Jaehyun played with his stuffed octopus, pretending it was an alien-face hugger before feigning death, collapsing on the bed. Even though Chenle was almost an adult, Jaehyun still made him laugh with his funny playing. He then cleared his throat, tapping Jaehyun on the arm.

“So, gonna order the tulips?” he asked, making Jaehyun look over at him and raise an eyebrow.

“What’s that?” he replied. Chenle chuckled.

“For the garden party!” he exclaimed. Jaehyun shook his head, playing dumb as he shook the tentacle legs in Chenle’s face playfully.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” he teased. Chenle laughed as he batted away the tentacles.

“Dad!” he playfully whined, pinning down the octopus before looking over at Taeyong, who was placing things on Chenle’s shelves.

“So Dad, invitations? Don’t forget the invitations” he reminded. Taeyong turned and tilted his head at Chenle, frowning.

“Even Renjun?” he asked. Chenle nodded.

“Yeah. And he’s not drunk, he’s eccentric” he explained before he lay down, head resting on his pillow. Jaehyun chuckled as he leaned over, placing a kiss on Chenle’s forehead.

“Good night Lele” he bid lovingly before he stood up. Taeyong then walked over to Chenle’s bed, slipping a little white box underneath Chenle’s covers, making Chenle’s eyes widen as he looked over at him. Taeyong just smiled and gave him a “told you so” look before he leaned down, kissing Chenle as well before he and Jaehyun headed over to the door, Taeyong turning off the light before leaving the room. Once they were gone, Chenle immediately sat up, opening the box to find the fingerless leather gloves he had wanted. Just then, Johnny appeared in his room, not in his cat form, but in his fallen angel form. Chenle looked over at him and smiled.

“Hi hyung” he greeted. Johnny smiled.

“Hey Chenle” he replied. Chenle paused and narrowed his eyes at Johnny. When had Johnny ever called him “Chenle”. Normally he would just call him “kid”. Johnny then crossed his arms.

“So, do you by chance, happen to have the key to the Other World?” he asked. Chenle frowned. Why was he asking?

“I…do” he replied, holding up the string with the key on it. Johnny’s eyes gleamed.

“May I see it?” he asked, holding out his hand. Chenle nodded and slowly removed it from around his neck, handing it over to Johnny before swiftly pulling it back, making Johnny’s hand snap close.

“You’re not the real Johnny” he declared. Johnny raised an eyebrow.

“What are you talking about Chenle? Of course I’m the real Johnny” he exclaimed. Chenle shook his head as he put the key back around his neck.

“The real Johnny never calls me “Chenle”. He always calls me “kid”. Isn’t that right, hyung?” he asked as another figure appeared behind the first “Johnny”.

“Damn straight, kid” the real Johnny replied as he summoned an angel sword, stabbing it through the fake Johnny’s body. Chenle quickly covered his eyes with his hand as a blinding light emanated from the “Johnny” copy. After a second, Chenle put his hand down and saw Johnny, the real Johnny, standing before him, with six black wings protruding from his back and a bloody angel sword in his hand. At his feet was the “Johnny” copy, which was disintegrating into dust. Johnny then leaned down, wiping his angel sword on the copy’s shirt before snapping his fingers, causing both sword and copy to disappear. He then looked at Chenle and smiled.

“Hey kid” he greeted. Chenle smiled before the smile fell and he hung his head.

“I'm really sorry I threw you at him. Kun? It was all I could think of” he explained. Johnny chuckled and shook his head.

“Don’t apologize. It was actually a pretty damn good idea; I’m just glad I caught on at the last second” he replied with a smile. Chenle smiled gratefully in return before he reached over and picked up his satchel, which Jaehyun was nice enough to bring him from the living room, taking out the pearl, the circus ball, and the stick-shift knob, holding them out to Johnny.

“It's time, don't you think? To set them free?” he asked. Johnny nodded.

“I do” he replied. Chenle nodded as well before he put the ghost eyes under his pillow, gently laying his head down on top of them. Johnny then walked over to the bed and sat down beside him, reaching out and gently running his fingers through Chenle’s hair in a comforting and calming manner. Chenle smiled as he shut his eyes and in no time, he was fast asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

Chenle then awoke in a dream-world, with a magical sky floating around him. As he studied the sky, chimes sounded and a gold light began to shine on him, causing him to turn and shield his eyes. After a few moments, Chenle’s eyes adjusted to the brightness well enough to see the three ghost boys, Yangyang, Hendery, and Xiaojun, flying before him with little fluttering wings on their back, since they had become angels. Chenle smiled. Their wings didn’t look as magnificent as Johnny’s, but they seemed to fit the three men.

 _“It's a fine, fine thing you did for us, Chenle”_ Xiaojun praised. Chenle chuckled.

“Well, I'm just glad it's finally over!” he replied. A shadow crossed Xiaojun, Hendery, and Yangyang’s face before they gathered around Chenle.

 _“It’s over and done with…for us”_ Xiaojun admitted, making Chenle frown.

“What about me?” he asked. Yangyang, Hendery, and Xiaojun looked at one another before Hendery looked back at him.

 _“You’re in terrible danger!”_ he exclaimed. Chenle’s eyes widened as he gestured for an explanation.

“But how?! I locked the fucking door!” he exclaimed. Yangyang shook his head.

_“It’s the key, Chenle. There’s only one and Kun will find it”_ he explained. Said key then floated out in front of Chenle, making him reach out and grab it. Yangyang, Xiaojun, and Hendery then flew over to Chenle, embracing him tenderly.

 _“It’s not all bad, Chenle. You’re still alive…you’re still living”_ Hendery whispered as he and the others began to swirl around him, spinning faster and faster. Chenle began to turn with them until he rolled himself awake in his own bed. Johnny, who had stopped running his fingers through Chenle’s hair a while ago, looked up at him in surprise as he sat up, lifting up his pillow only to gasp: the ghost eyes were in pieces like hatched bird eggs. He quickly placed the pillow back down before he reached into his pajama top, pulling out the key. He then looked at Johnny.

“I…I've gotta hide this somewhere, s-somewhere he can never…” he stammered; voice panicked. Johnny then held up a hand, stalling his words.

“Kid, kid, slow down. Take it easy” he soothed. Chenle did what he was told and took a deep breath before he leapt off his bed, grabbing his blanket on the way, and headed towards the door. Johnny’s eyes widened and he quickly snapped his fingers, appearing before Chenle, blocking his way.

“Kid, listen to me, I don’t think this is such a good idea—” he started when Chenle shook his head and shoved past him.

“Outta my way!” he exclaimed as he ran down the stairs. Johnny blinked in shock before he shook himself out of it and raced after him.

“God damn it Chenle” he growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


	20. Defeated, Once and for All

Chenle ran down the stairs and through the hallway, heading towards the door. As he headed past the living room, he paid no mind to the little door, since he knew that it was locked, but unbeknownst to him, through the narrow gap at the door's bottom, the fingers of Kun’s dismembered hand appeared, leaving claw marks on the wallpaper as it pulled itself out. Once it was free, it quickly followed after Chenle, who had already left the house.

~*~*~*~*~

Outside, Chenle moved quickly, heading away from the house as he gripped tightly to the key that was around his neck. Dark, ropey clouds reached like fingers across the gibbous moon as Chenle began to sing his father's nonsense song, just to keep him from freaking out.

_Oh…my twitchy witchy son,_ __

_I think you are so nice…_

He walked past the old fruit trees, which were now covered in bright spring blossoms that fell gently like snow.

_…I give you bowls of porridge_ __

_And I give you bowls of ice cream._

He slowly began to walk away from the fruit trees and towards the old well, not realizing that Kun’s hand began to creep-crawl behind him.

_I give you lots of kisses,_ __

_And I give you lots of hugs ..._

Chenle then walked over to the well, picking up the large branch that Jisung had used to open the well to open it again with a loud groan.

_….But I never give you sandwiches_

_With grease and worms and mung beans._

Once the well was open, Chenle let out a huff and wiped his brown before he reached up, grabbing at the string that was attached to the key. Kun’s hand, who had been hiding and watching the entire time, saw what Chenle was about to do and quickly skittered closer, jumping over small rocks until it landed on the large tree stump. Before Chenle could fully get the key off, Kun’s hand attacked, springing through the air and towards Chenle, grabbing the key before forcefully slamming Chenle to the ground as it landed. Chenle let out a choked scream, his fingers caught between the key string and his neck (thankfully). Kun’s hand then began to drag Chenle towards the house, where inside, the little door pounded with anticipation of being re-opened. As the hand was dragging Chenle away, Chenle struggled against it, trying to grasp at anything that he could to get the hand to stop dragging him when suddenly Jisung appeared out of nowhere, a .9mm in his hand.

“Lele, move your head!” he exclaimed before he pulled the trigger, firing at the hand. However, Kun’s hand jumped, dodging the bullet and as it dodged, it let go of the key, allowing Chenle to sit up and breathe. Kun’s hand then whirled on Jisung, skittering up to him with mad speed. Jisung’s eyes widened and he fired off another shot, but the hand quickly dodge it again before coming closer to Jisung, who began to back away to try and avoid being attacked. However, Jisung didn’t realizing that Kun’s hand was quickly back him into the well until he was right at the edge, eyes wide in fear. The hand then jumped up and pushed Jisung backwards, causing him to slip and fall into the well, throwing the gun as he fell.

“JISUNG, NO!” Chenle screamed. Thankfully, Jisung was smart and had caught the lip of the well just in time, hanging on for dear life. Kun’s hand then skittered over, beginning to stab at Jisung’s fingers, trying to get him to fall to his death in the well. As the hand was attacking Jisung, Chenle quickly pushed himself to his feet, grabbing his blanket as he rushed over to the hand, throwing the blanket over it. He then pulled the hand away, which struggled and fought like a crazed dog as he fought to control it. The hand then stabbed through the blanket before shaking it off, turning to face Chenle, whose eyes widened in fear. Before the hand could even move, a loud gunshot rang out, causing Chenle to flinch and squeeze his eyes shut. However, when he didn’t feel any pain, he opened his eyes and looked down to see a lifeless hand, now shattered into twenty broken needles. His eyes widened and he looked around, only to pause on Johnny, who’s eyes were glowing red as he held Jisung’s gun, which he was pointing at Kun’s hand. Chenle opened his mouth to say something when he remembered that Jisung was hanging on for dear life in the well, so he quickly rushed over to him, kneeling before the well as he grabbed Jisung’s wrist.

“I got you! I got you Jisung!” he exclaimed as he began to pull, using all of his strength to try and pull Jisung out of the well. Johnny looked over at them and quickly dropped the gun, rushing over to help Chenle pull Jisung to safety. Once Jisung was safely on the ground, Chenle threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“You’re okay!” he exclaimed. Jisung nodded, burying his face into Chenle’s shoulder for a moment.

“Yeah…yeah I’m okay” he breathed before he pulled away, noticing that Chenle was giving him a strange look. 

“What?” he asked. Chenle let out a breathy laugh.

“You came back…after you said you didn’t believe me” he replied. Jisung chuckled before he shrugged.

“Guess I uh…had a change of heart” he replied. Chenle smiled as Johnny crossed his arms.

“So uh…what are you going to do with the key?” he asked. Chenle quickly removed the key from his sore neck and handed it to Jisung, who took it and held it as Chenle knelt down, wrapping up the corners of the blanket around the broken needles before holding out his hand for the key. Jisung handed over the key and Chenle used it to tie the blanket closed before Johnny held out his hands, taking the bundle from him. He then walked over to the well and dropped the bundle in, watching as the bundle fell down the deep well. As he watched the bundle fall, Chenle and Jisung walked over to him, both teens standing on either side of him, the three of them watching and listening as the bundle fell down, down, down, until it finally made a muffled splash at the bottom of the well. Once the bundle was drowned at the bottom of the well, Johnny, Chenle, and Jisung slid the well cover into place, the three of them panting when it was done. Chenle then looked over at Jisung, frowning.

“So…where did you get that gun from?” he asked. Jisung looked over at him and chuckled.

“I’m a teenager running a rental apartment complex. I have to have some sort of protection. You never know who, or what, is going to come to the Pink Palace” he explained. Chenle hummed in understanding before he looked over at Johnny, who raised an eyebrow at him.

“What?” he asked. Chenle said nothing before he threw his arms around the fallen angel, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you. For saving me. Again” he thanked. Johnny blinked before he let out a huff and wrapped his arms around Chenle, patting his back gently.

“You’re welcome” he replied. When they pulled away, Chenle yawned, rubbing his eyes.

“I feel like I could sleep for twenty years…” he murmured. Jisung chuckled.

“I feel that” he agreed. Johnny huffed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m a supernatural being who doesn’t need sleep and I feel like _I_ need sleep” he grumbled. Chenle and Jisung chuckled and soon Johnny joined in on the laughter, their laughter echoing throughout the night as the last ropey clouds, like two clawed hands, cleared away from the bright gibbous moon.

~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, after Chenle got a good night’s rest, for the first time in a long time, he walked into the garden, which had white balloons tied to the metal gate. Near the gate was a table of refreshments, so being the nice young man that he was, he picked up the tray and began walking around to his hard working guests, who were all wearing gloves and showing signs of planting over a hundred red tulips. He first stopped by Jeno and Jaemin, who were sitting on the brick tree ring, planting red tulips all around.

“Thanks for helping me, hyungs” he thanked. Jeno and Jaemin looked over at him and smiled.

“Of course Lele!” Jaemin cooed as he reached out, gently pinching Chenle on the cheek. Chenle scrunched up his face before he chuckled, holding up the tray of drinks.

“I brought some lemonade” he stated. Jeno looked up from planting a tulip and smiled.

“Oh, thank you” he thanked, reaching out with a gloved hand to grab two glasses. Chenle smiled.

“You’re welcome” he replied before he turned and headed towards Jaehyun and Taeyong, who were dumping a heavy bag of peat moss around the dead-looking tree in the stone circle.

“Here comes a burp” Jaehyun declared as Chenle neared them. He then burped loudly, making Taeyong look over at him with wide eyes.

“Jaehyun!” he exclaimed, glaring playfully at his husband. Jaehyun chuckled.

“Oh, excu-say-moi, but that pizza was delicious” he replied. Taeyong rolled his eyes, sighing softly as Chenle walked over to them.

“Cold drinks?” he asked, holding up the tray. Jaehyun nodded, reaching out and taking two, one for himself and one for Taeyong. Taeyong then looked over at Chenle, sighing softly.

“You were right, Lele. I really hate dirt, but…the tulips look nice” he complimented. Chenle smiled brightly.

“Thanks” he thanked before he moved on, heading over to Renjun, who was in the bottom of the drained fishpond. Chenle thought he would be burying his beets, since he knew the man loved those damn things, but to his surprise, Renjun was planting more tulips.

“How are the laoshu, Renjun-ge?” he asked, grabbing Renjun’s attention. The man looked over his shoulder at Chenle and smiled.

“They told me that you’re a savior. And, as soon as they are ready, they would like to give you a special “thank you” performance” he explained, reaching out and taking one of the drinks from Chenle’s tray. Chenle’s eyes widened before he smiled.

“I would love that. Could I bring a friend?” he asked. Renjun raised an eyebrow before he smiled.

“Of course! The more the merrier” he replied before he turned back to planting tulips. Chenle smiled as he turned away, still carrying the tray that held three cold lemonades.

“Is one of those for me?” a voice called out, making Chenle jump before he turned to see Johnny and Jisung walking towards him.

“You came!” he exclaimed, smiling brightly. Jisung laughed as he and Johnny walked over to Chenle, taking two of the lemonades, handing one of them over to Johnny, who took a sip, humming contently. 

“Of course I came. This is my property. I want to make sure you’re not making a mess of it” Jisung teased. Chenle’s eyes widened and he put down the tray before he reached out and smacked Jisung on the arm.

“Yah! I wouldn’t make a mess!” he exclaimed. Jisung let out a little whimper at the attack while Johnny let out a laugh before taking another sip of his lemonade. He then looked around at the garden and hummed appreciatively.

“The garden looks nice…good job” he praised. Chenle beamed before he motioned with his head towards Jaehyun and Taeyong.

“Wanna meet my parents? I’m sure they’d love to meet you” he stated. Johnny and Jisung looked at one another before they shrugged.

“Sure” they replied. Chenle smiled as he grabbed the last lemonade before he motioned for Jisung and Johnny to follow him as he walked back to his parents, calling out their names before motioning to Johnny and Jisung, introducing them. Jaehyun and Taeyong’s eyes lit up at the sight of Jisung and Johnny, happy that Chenle made friends in their new home. Soon the five men were talking and laughing, forgetting all about the “Other Father” and the “Other World”, almost as if they never existed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end! I hope you guys enjoyed this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!

**Author's Note:**

> I know I had a Markhyuck version for this story, but I thought that the ChenJi version would be much better. Hope you guys enjoy this story! Please don't hesitate to leave comments, kudos, bookmark, and subscribe!


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